The newspaper biz is not what it once was. Among the places that newspapers across the state have cut back on is their coverage of state politics. Just a couple of years ago, the Charlotte Observer, Winston-Salem Journal, and Asheville Citizen-Times all had columnists based in Raleigh. Those columnists have since retired or moved on, and have not been replaced.
The latest reduce comes from Freedom Communications, which has laid off its state government reporter Barry Smith and stopped updated its M2M Politics page. In a news coverage universe that is increasingly shrinking, they will be missed.
