Newspapers aren’t being killed, they’re committing suicide. Most of
the front section of the News & Observer is wire stories that cover
the same things readers can learn from the internet, cable, or even the
broadcast networks’ national nightly news.
The city and state
section provides almost no local news. The actual news stories in
Sunday’s N&O were the latest call to action on the Dorothea Dix
campus, a below-the-fold story on legislation regarding illegal
immigrants, and a City&State piece on Justice Beverly Lake’s push
for an innocence panel. The other local stories were about the science
olympiad, a dog festival, the new head of the NC Bankers Association,
and a half news/half analysis piece on public apathy toward town
budgets.
Of course, the N&O does little to help local
residents’ stay abreast of issues in their towns. Yes, they also
publish local papers such as the Cary News, but that doesn’t make me
want to spend $1.50 on the occasional Sunday (or $1.75 if I subscribe
for Sundays) let alone spend any more on weekdays.
