While the web only suggestion has some merit, those of us who are privileged enough to have regular and even DAILY
access to a computer cannot forget the incredible digital divide that
continues to exist across our nation and around the world.
Responsible, thoughtful, and diverse WEB ONLY reporting has the ability
to increase social injustices by keeping the have-nots totally in the
dark. People of all income levels need convenient and affordable access
to timely information and high quality reporting.
Nikki Motson
Clean Water Action
1200 Michigan Ave.
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517)203-0754 (office)
(517)203-0760 (fax)
Eric Baerren wrote:
I have a suggestion -- go Web only.
Printing the newspaper on dead trees requires the cost of maintaining
and staffing a printing press. Pixels are almost free. There are a few
big papers -- the Christian Science Monitor -- who are already going
this route (the CSM doesn't print a daily edition anymore, and sticks
with pixels during the workweek).
It's not generating revenue, per se, but it is eliminating basically
all of the costs associated with operating a newspaper -- printing
press, circulation, classified ads, even management to coordinate all
of those things. After start up costs for equipment, marketing, and
site design, I think you could fund an entire local news operation for
less than $200,000 a year, almost all of which would be salaries for
reporters, visual media specialists, and an editor.
On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 9:52 AM, Erich
Ditschman <theriverdude@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
David:
I enjoyed your column today and agree that the loss of
professional journalism is a threat to our democracy.
Do you have some suggestions on how our news services can make
money so that they can stay in business?
Perhaps a silver lining is that we are saving some trees and
polluting less rivers.
Erich Ditschman
From:
David Poulson <poulsondavid@gmail.com>
To: enviro-mich@great-lakes.net
Sent: Thursday,
November 20, 2008 9:17:09 AM
Subject: E-M:/
Michigan Newspapers
I wrote this for LSJ: http://tinyurl.com/5rsdt5
I'm posting here because I believe that it has particular implications
for environmental protection.
dp
--
David Poulson
Associate Director
Knight Center for Environmental Journalism
Michigan State University
517 432 5417
--
Editor and owner
www.michiganliberal.com
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