"Some generous-hearted pundits have theorized that this was just woman-to-woman goodness: Ginni Thomas was truly reaching out in the spirit of reconciliation. I’m skeptical. The 7:30 voice mail accusing one of lying for two decades and requesting that one finally stop lying isn’t in the top 50 dispute-resolution techniques I’ve researched."
Late last week I helped soft-launch a “news, analysis and commentary” site from veteran Philadelphia reporter Tom Ferrick called “Metropolis” and located at http://phlmetropolis.com. An alum of The Inquirer, Tom’s spent the last half-dozen years talking to everyone who will listen about the future of print and Philly news. He’s done talking and is showing what can be done with a shoestring budget. From “This is Metropolis,” the lead article:
Local newspapers, TV and radio stations are retreating from in-depth coverage of regional news either due to economic or audience considerations.
The retreat has been gradual, but no one expects it to stop. The company that owns the region’s largest newspapers - the Inquirer and Daily News - is in bankruptcy. The size of the editorial staffs at the papers continues to shrink. The prognosis for metro dailies here and elsewhere is not good. The journalism practiced by these papers is still robust, but the economic model that has sustained it is eroding.
If these traditional sources of news falter or fail what will take their place? Will local TV and radio stations fill the gap by hiring additional reporters to do in-depth stories? Will bloggers, known mostly for commenting off the news, begin to cover it? The odds are against this happening.
Mass murder Galore: the shop where the Ft Hood gunman was supplied.
