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York, Pennsylvania has always been an offbeat kind of newspaper town, so perhaps it is fitting that, in an unusual deal, the owners of York's two dailies recently merged properties. There are strategic reasons for this transaction. The two newspapers that serve the region, which are now in a joint operating agreement (JOA), are the "Daily Record," a morning paper with 46,500 weekday circulation, and the "York Dispatch," with 37,300 weekday and 93,200 Sunday circulation. Another unusual fact about York is that for a long time it was perhaps the only U.S. city to have an independently owned Sunday newspaper, the "York Sunday News." York had three newspaper ownerships, the two weekday dailies and an independent Sunday. When the two newspapers entered into the JOA, MediaNews received an option to buy the "Daily Record," which became the basis for the recent transaction. In effect, the option was insurance against the time when the afternoon syndrome might begin to erode the Dispatch's circulation. Indeed, over the last five years the Dispatch's circulation has declined more than 7 percent while the Record's has gained nearly 7 percent. Thus, the transaction brought MediaNews what it probably wanted all along, control of a seven-day morning newspaper.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to a column by John Morton in the June/July 2009 issue of the journal.

The article focuses on Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. of Birmingham, Alabama and its program that aims to generate a series of stories for its 90-plus daily newspapers. Bill Ketter, vice president of news, oversees the Elite Reporting Fellowship program. The first package to emerge from the program was "Hooked on Gambling," a three-part series in April 2006 on the problems of gambling addicts and the meager resources available to help them. Since then, the program has produced five more series, including "America's Interstate," which dealt with the Interstate Highway System's crumbling infrastructure, and "Playing Hurt," which looked at the dangers to which untrained coaches expose young athletes.

Presents a letter to the editor in response to the column "The Newspaper Business," by John Morton in the February/March 2004 edition of "American Journalism Review."

Describes a house in Rockport, Massachusetts which is made of used newspapers and was completed in 1923 by Elis F. Stenman. Other furniture created by Stenman; Reactions of visitors and tourists upon seeing the house.

Discusses the profits of newspaper companies in 1999. Factors that lead to profits in 1999; Discussion on the price of newsprint.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "The Newspaper Business," by John Morton, which appeared in the June/July 2009 issue of the journal.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Cities Without Newspapers" in the June/July 2009 issue of the journal.

Reports on the acquisition of the newspaper `Berlin Reporter,' by Salmon Press in Berlin, New Hampshire. Owners of the publication; Business losses of the newspaper; Details on the publishing industry of New Hampshire.

Reports that Tim Giago has started to publish `Lakota Journal' in February of 2000 after selling his first newspaper the `Lakota Times.' Reason for publishing another newspaper; Background information on `Indian Country Today,' which is the former `Lakota Times.'

Discusses online publishing of newspapers in the United States. Information on Internet advertising; Advantage of traditional newspaper advertising; Comparison between print and Internet advertising.

Reports that economic trends and competition are turning the United States into a nation of one-newspaper towns. Information on joint operating agreements; Factors that contributed to the changes; Benefits of having only one newspaper.

This article examines how news outlets report issues regarding obscenities or crass language. In July 2008, the Reverend Jesse Jackson made such a comment with regards to Senator Barack Obama. His comment generally considered to be a crude colloquialism . Several prominent papers such as the "Los Angeles Times" and the "Chicago Tribune" published his comments unedited. However, others, such as the "Washington Post" and the "The New York Times" did not. Some argue that these papers did their readers a disservice because they could not discern for themselves the meaning or importance of Jackson's words. INSETS: A Stand for Civility;Avoiding Gutter Language;The AP's Take.

This article examines how the newspapers in the San Francisco, California, area has suffered more than others. The "San Jose Mercury News," was forced to lay off 31 out of 246 newsroom employees. In San Francisco, another newspaper is undergoing its own wrenching contraction. The "San Francisco Chronicle," the Bay Area's largest paper, announced it would reduce its editorial staff. When the numbers were finalized a few weeks later, 90 journalists, 23 percent of the Chronicle's newsroom had either simply resigned or agreed to take buyouts offered by the paper's owner, Hearst. Among those who've recently left the paper are Managing Editor Robert J. Rosenthal.

This article reports on the turmoil at the "Star Tribune" of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Much of the controversy surrounds editor Nancy Barnes, who had to oversee the downsizing and reorganization of the paper. Besides having to let 68 out of 400 employees go, the paper was bought by Avista Capital Partners, a New York investment company. The paper's publisher, Par Ridder, is also being sued by a rival paper. However, Barnes most resents accusations that her focus on local implies diminishing quality.

This article features Ken Paulson and his contributions to USA Today. USA Today is a more settled place roughly a year after revelations of star reporter Jack Kelley's brazen fabrications shamed the paper and toppled its leaders. But the wounds from that episode still sting, and the paper's humiliation has galvanized efforts to shore up credibility. Paulson has steered the newspaper onto a course of painstaking attention to sourcing and attribution, of greater openness and accessibility to readers and staff, and of swift responsiveness to hints of reporter wrongdoing or missteps by the paper. Paulson developed many of his ideas about how to run newspapers as editor of smaller sister Gannett papers and as executive director of the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center in Nashville, where educating the public about free speech and journalism's mission was central to his job.

This article focuses on the acquisition of Pulitzer Inc. and its flagship Saint Louis Post-Dispatch by newspaper chain Lee Enterprises. Founded in 1890 with A.W. Lee's purchase of Iowa's Ottumwa Courier, Lee has remained below the journalism industry radar, mostly because the vast majority of Lee's 44 dailies (pre-Pulitzer) are under 30,000-circulation. The company puts out good newspapers at healthy, consistent profit margins, focuses on building revenue and often outperforms other companies in advertising growth. Its papers have gotten little national recognition for journalism. But the Pulitzer deal, a $1.46 billion cash purchase announced January 2005, changes that. The deal is set to close by the end of June 2005. The acquisition of the Post-Dispatch is a decided departure from the company's small-paper history. INSETS: An Enterprising Company;Find Your Niche.

This article focuses on the lay-offs done at the newspaper Dallas Morning News in September 2004. Last September 2004 James J. Moroney III, publisher of the Dallas Morning News, summoned his newsroom staff to a meeting at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. By then, rumors about the lay-offs were heard but none believed it. At the meeting, Moroney reviewed the paper's economic problems and informed the staff that the paper needed to lose 150 of its 2,300 employees. Moroney said that lay-offs will be decided based not on individual merit or personalities, but on the jobs which the paper could do without. By October 27, 150 employees were laid-off, including 65 from the newsroom. Some of them have been with the paper for more than 20 years, some prize-winning. Dallas Morning News had been a wounded institution since that day. The staff is angry and sad. Some blame the upper management people and Moroney for the financial woes of the paper, citing cases of circulation fraud and managerial problems as the true cause of the paper's woes. The secrecy surrounding the lay-offs aggravated the matter further. The list of those employees who were laid-off remains a company secret. Also secret were the ethnic and gender compositions and other such demographic breakdowns.

The article discusses several issues affecting journalists and newspaper publishing in the U.S., including the ones affecting regional reporters in Washington D.C. In the shadows of largest and most prestigious bureaus labor scores of reporters who cover the nation's capital for small and midsize papers. Some correspondents work for prominent newspaper chains and benefit from the name recognition and resources their bureaus can provide. Some toil alone in offices scarcely larger than a closet or share space with other reporters who work for the same newspaper or serve sister papers. No matter how diverse the correspondents' responsibilities, however, similar obstacles dog most regional reporters. The nation's capital is a town that respects prestige and power. Correspondents at small and midsize newspapers often discover that access to federal officials does not come easily. Unlike national beat reporters, most regional correspondents are generalists, a reality that requires dexterity in covering issues as diverse as local highway projects and national energy policy, antiballistic missile systems and immigration disputes. Most regional reporters have endured the pressures of competition with national newspapers that have larger staffs and better resources.

The article discusses the actions being taken by Indianapolis Star newspaper editor Dennis Ryerson to keep the newspaper viable after a merger and ownership change. In August 2000, the Star went from being a family-owned paper, with all its charms and eccentricities, to being the third-largest property in the biggest newspaper chain in the country. But perhaps the most personal change for the newsroom has been the loss of colleagues. About 97 of approximately 275 staffers have left since 2000. Janet Williams, the assistant managing editor, says there were several times when there was a lot of opportunity at the paper, moments when it seemed it would break through to another level. Under independent ownership, the Morning Star and afternoon News were good places to work, an extended family in many respects. Staffers fondly recall the days when the News and the Star were highly competitive, when reporters from the rival papers disliked one another and fought hard for scoops. Follow-up reorganizations of the newsroom continued, with many staffers repeatedly reapplying for their jobs. There was much trepidation in the Star newsroom about what the sale to Gannet would mean. Staffers say there were preemptive departures.

This article examines the state of newspapers and ways in which they can maintain their relevance into the future. The internet dramatically disrupted newspapers traditional market domination of news. The author suggests that papers fall back on things the internet does not provide such as investigative reporting. He contends that readers still need someone to put information into context and bring meaning to it. Trust and influence within the community is a good newspaper's most valuable asset.

This article reports that many newspapers are dispensing with their own film critics to save money. In 2007, Tampa, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Denver, papers have bought out, laid off or reassigned their movie critics. Newspapers across the country are under intense financial pressure and many are responding by cutting their arts staffs and focusing on local stories. Some longtime critics being bought out include Robert Denerstein of the "Rocky Mountain News" and Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution."

This article describes the radical approach by noncommercial news outlets in an era of concentration, conglomeration and commercialization of news. These organizations away from criticizing their commercial counterparts, where most of them began, and they acknowledge that such news organizations often do outstanding reporting. But they treasure the opportunity to present journalism to their standards, with often limited resources and firepower. Less-commercial media can think more in terms of social responsibility, with less oppression from short-term profit demands. The journalism may or may not be superior to that produced elsewhere, but it comes from newspeople who are aiming high and relishing their independence. Only a handful of mainstream newspapers follow the relatively noncommercial model, but two that do, the St. Petersburg Times and New London's Day, seem to have larger newsholes than papers of similar size, more local news and art, greater insulation from economic downturns, and stronger focus on long-term goals. Outside the mainstream, other types of media can follow their own less-conventional avenues. But it is theirs to choose and present their views and stands on issues.

This article reports on how the Ashbury Park Press became popular through its award-winning article series on how New Jersey legislators profit from their jobs. On September 21, 2003, the Ashbury Park Press launched a compelling series titled Profiting from Public Service: How Many N.J. Legislators Exploit the System. For days, the newspaper detailed abuses and provided examples that filled 38 pages with 72 stories. The series was dispatched over the Gannett wire to the chain's six other New Jersey papers, which had all contributed at least one reporter to a five-month effort spearheaded by the Press and captained by its energetic new executive editor, William C. Hidlay. During the 2004 journalism awards harvest, the series won two lucrative prizes. But the articles also prompted controversy in New Jersey political and journalistic circles, where people had been accustomed to a more restrained form of reporting. Although the series did not accomplish all that it set out to do, notably in the area of pay-to-play reform, what the Legislature enacted amounted to the biggest ethics reform in New Jersey since Watergate. The Press will track the impact of pay-to-play reform when it takes effect in 2006.

This article examines why editorial pages keep publishing newspaper endorsements of presidential candidates even though few voters are being swayed by these endorsements. The impact of endorsement on national or even regional elections--contests in which candidates are well-known among voters--is negligible. A Pew Center for the People & the Press study released in January 2004, which measured media influences on voters during the 2004 presidential campaign, concluded that newspaper endorsements are also less influential than four years ago, and they dissuade as many U.S. citizens as they persuade. But when the hometown newspaper is the primary source of preelection information for a particular race, its endorsement can and does sway voters--positively and negatively. In 2000, Editor & Publisher magazine found that 70 percent of papers and 96 percent with circulations of 200,000 or more that responded to a survey were likely to make a presidential endorsement. Not among this group are the nation's two largest newspapers--USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Neither endorses candidates of any kind. The founder of the first thinks endorsements are demeaning to readers, and the second views principles as more important than politicians.

In the wake of Jayson Blair, Jack Kelley and numerous other journalists who were into instances of fabrication and plagiarism, the U.S. newspapers are scrutinizing their operations and stiffening their defenses against ethical lapses. With dismaying regularity, papers across the country are realizing that they have been had by cheating reporters. Jayson Blair's bamboozling of the "New York Times," the most headline-grabbing example, is among the reasons the industry has since heard of sin after sin after sin. As each new case chipped away at the news industry's already fragile credibility, most newsroom leaders this year heard a call to action. Knowing that wiping out plagiarism and fabrication is pretty much impossible, editors started having at it just the same, tightening ethics policies, having heart-to-heart talks with their staff, monitoring corrections, tracking expense reports and learning about software that detects plagiarism. To set the stage for solid editing, newsrooms might have to rethink the traditional editor-to-reporter ratio. Often, top editors say, there are so many reporters per supervisor that an editor just does not have enough time in the day to give copy the attention it deserves, let alone know exactly what each reporter is up to. INSET: PLAYING DEFENSE.

The article explains the failure of Berkshire Eagle newspaper in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to build a new baseball stadium. Andrew H. Mick, publisher and president of the Media-News subsidiary New England Newspapers, including officials at the Berkshire Bank formed a limited liability corporation, Berskshire Sports and Events LLC, which pushed to create a Pittsfield Civic Authority that would build, own and manage the facility and would have eminent domain powers to take land. In June 2003, former baseball player Jim Bouton, released the self-published book Foul Ball, which chronicles his experiences with Pittsfield baseball. Bouton casts himself in his book as an underdog valiantly fighting to save a historic stadium and the city's soul. Bouton claimed the Eagle had secretly tried to foist polluted property on the taxpayers of Pittsfield, saying the paper's owners had an economic interest in the outcome of it because it would enhance the value of their property plus relieve them of the liability of a cleanup. He described is book as a case study of what can happen when a distant media conglomerate owns the daily newspaper in town. The editorial of the newspaper stated that the Eagle newsroom and editorial department enjoy complete independence and indeed the idea for a downtown ballpark originated within the Eagle newsroom.

Discusses why United States newspaper companies are putting their papers online. Implications of the growth of the Web to newspapers; Opinion on several newspaper web sites; Remarks from David E. Carlson, founder of the Interactive Media Lab on the history of online newspapers; Details on the interactive newsroom of the `Washington Post' newspaper.

This article reports on the revised policy of the "Dallas Morning News" to only give staff-written articles a byline. Bob Mong, editor of the paper, says he the policy change was to highlight the paper's own writers more. Tim Poor, an editor at "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch," says his paper's policy on bylines involves the size of the story rather than its origin. Carl Pisano, of "USA Today," reveals that it is up to the editors to make a case-by-case judgement on bylines, rather than a formal policy.

The author focuses on the "Desert Sun" newspaper in Palm Springs, California, which is a much different place than it was eight months ago. The staff has embraced a creative approach called "disruptive innovation" to change the way the paper does business. The idea is to preserve the paper's journalistic mission while coming up with inventive ways of reaching a wider audience. Changes include business strategies for two specialty publications, a web site offering restaurant ads and coupons, photo galleries and enhanced online content. Executive Editor Steve Silberman wants to hire people versed in digital media. The transformation at the "Sun" is partly due to an American Press Institute project known as Newspaper Next aimed at helping newspapers adapt to current market trends.

The article reports on the sale of "Point Reyes Light," a weekly newspaper in Marin County, California, to editor and publisher Robert Plotkin in November 2005. The newspaper is legendary both in journalism circles and in Northern California because of its former editor and publisher, Dave Mitchell. The paper won more than 100 state and national awards during the time of Mitchell including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1979. A hallmark of the paper is its creative approaches to immigration stories.

This article describes Los Angeles Times Editor Dean P. Baquet. Journalists who have worked closely with Baquet describe him as a reporter's editor, a whirlwind of ideas, energy and enthusiasm who is deeply curious about the world and intensely passionate about his craft. Baquet takes the helm of the Los Angeles Times during a high point in its journalistic standing but a turbulent time for the paper financially, as circulation drops and corporate parent Tribune Co. demands greater profitability. The first African American journalist to lead a top U.S. newspaper, Baquet was born and raised in New Orleans and worked before school and on weekends cleaning his parents' Creole restaurant, Eddie's. He went to Columbia University in New York as an English major but got homesick and took an internship at his hometown's afternoon paper, the States-Item.

This article looks at the state of broadcasting and journalism in Iraq, as of June 2004. In December 2003, some 290 publications, in addition to one television station and innumerable local radio stations, were operating in Iraq, according to a count by Gareth Bayley, the Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman to the Iraqi and Arabic media. Of the 130 or so publications that still come out regularly, only about 10 are daily newspapers. The lack of independent Iraqi media comes down to simple economics. Editor Hassan Fattah says the loss of "Iraq Today's" main funder and security concerns led him to close the paper, although there is still an online version. For the most part, the only organizations with enough money and desire to launch a media outlet are political parties. Most newspapers and radio stations, for better or worse, are openly run with a political agenda. Iraqi journalists often make up the majority of reporters at press conferences, and they are not afraid to demand answers from the U.S. spokespeople on the parochial as well as the political. They have insisted that a family whose car was crunched by a military Humvee get restitution, and they pointedly asked why the U.S. has refused to back immediate, direct elections.

This article looks at the business model followed by Clarity Media Group in publishing its free daily newspaper, The Examiner in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. is home to several newspapers--The Washington Post, Washington Times, Express, plus a plethora of free suburban weeklies, alternative papers and assorted bloggers. Yet if one so desire to start a daily newspaper in Washington, it would do well to follow the Examiner's business model. The Examiner is delivered free to more than 200,000 generally high-income households in the District of Columbia and its surrounding suburbs; an additional 50,000 or so copies are available in newspaper racks. The attraction of this strategy is obvious. Unlike other free papers, which must convince advertisers that copies picked up from newspaper racks wind up in the hands of people the advertisers want to reach, the Examiner can point to actual delivery to a sizable collection of desirable high-income households. Even if the advertising cost to reach each of these households might be higher at the Examiner than at, say, the Washington Post, the Examiner will be a much more efficient buy because advertisers are not paying to reach all those Post subscribers who have lower incomes and are less attractive to advertisers.

Since the plagiarism scandals, iThenticate has sent offers to 200 newspapers in the U.S. It says it has added a number of them to its roster of clients, the papers wish to remain unidentified. Rates vary, but most newspapers can expect to pay a flat fee and an additional fee for every 500 words submitted for scrutiny. The program scours gargantuan databases of academic papers, Web pages and published work and in seconds produces a color-coded list of possible plagiarism instances. "The Courant" is using the software on many of its opinion-editorials to guard against shortcuts by contributors who may not know the guidelines for attribution, but not in other sections of the paper. Another plagiarism-detection service, MyDropBox, which launched in fall 2003, says it too has newspaper and magazine clients. But like iThenticate, it is keeping mum about who they are. For drive-by plagiarism detection, editors can turn to WCopy-find, a free downloadable program.

The article provides information on the actions being taken by newspapers to turn again to niche publishing. In some ways the U.S. newspaper industry is returning to the segmented market days of yore. What began to change all of that was the gradual assimilation of immigrants into the English-speaking mainstream. Then came television, suburbanization and myriad social forces that eliminated many dailies and left most cities with just one newspaper. The industry recognizes that there is a large and growing portion of the population that is fully assimilated, English-speaking and relatively well off but nevertheless has not taken up daily newspaper reading in nearly the numbers of former days. The ultimate hope with the endeavors of newspapers are that young people will be attracted by the some-what flashy, entertainment-oriented and greatly abbreviated journalism of the papers, will develop a daily newspaper-reading habit and will eventually move on to become regular readers of the mother papers. Immigration is rising much faster that assimilation is and newspapers with expanding Hispanic population risk losing a substantial number of potential readers. However it is done, the move to segmentation heralds a strategy for an industry beleaguered by waning circulation.

The article reports on the dismissal of Baltimore Sun newspaper editor Bill Marimow. Marinow was an award-winning investigative reporter during the glory days at the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper. The Sun's publisher at the time was Mike Waller, a gravely voiced former editor who remained a newsman until the day he retired. It is unclear exactly what precipitated Marinow's abrupt dismissal. During the Sun's bitter negotiations with the Newspaper Guild, The Tribune Co. took a hard line. Marinow publicly embraced the company position, but behind the scenes lobbied unsuccessfully for a less harsh approach. That turned out not to be a popular move with Tribune. And while Marinow had reduced the newsroom staff significantly via attrition, he adamantly resisted layoffs in his department. The editor's beheading triggered newsroom fears of yet more dramatic incursions by the bean counters. Some voiced concern over the fate of the paper's foreign bureaus. Jim Warren, a Chicago Tribune newspaper deputy managing editor, warned against casting his paper's parent company as an unfeeling meanie stomping on the cause of quality journalism. Newspapers like the L.A. Times and the Sun are true treasures. If the budget ax is wielded to beef up profit margins, it will be obvious.

This article offers the author's perspective on his career at "The Los Angeles Times" and his decision to resign. He discusses the financial pressure on newspapers and how many veteran reporters are accepting buyouts such as Linda Greenhouse of the "New York Times." Despite his desire to remain at the paper, new owner Sam Zell's business strategy alienated him. Quality editors like John Carroll, Dean Baquet, and Jeff Johnson were all pushed out by Zell's demands for cost-cutting. The author finally decided that remaining was simply not possible.

The article discusses the use of blogs by newspapers in the United States. The author focuses on how newspaper editors have used blogs to achieve greater intimacy and contact with readers. John Drescher, editor at the "News & Observer" in Raleigh, North Carolina used his blog to offer additional details on a top news story. Jamie Gold, editor at the "Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California," has used her blog to clarify the paper's ethics guidelines. Jack Robinson, editor of the "Fresno Bee" in Fresno, California, uses his blog to field questions from readers on any topic.

This article describes how some news organizations are relying on their readers for newsgathering. It is called 'crowdsourcing' solicits tips and information from readers, who can influence stories as they happen rather than after publication. After a bridge collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007, the "Des Moines Register" posted a message on their web site asking readers for details. Gannett papers have found that crowdsourcing can be helpful in investigative endeavors.

This article examines editorial practices at "The New York Times," in response to its subdued reporting of the scandal at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The story regarding substandard medical conditions for returning veterans was first reported by "The Washington Post," and the Times has a policy of not following a rival. The author wonders if this institutional ego impedes the paper's responsibility to the public. Editor Bill Keller acknowledged as much but stopped short of reevaluating policy.

This article presents an interview with Web Editor Deb Boisvert, who volunteers on the online New Hampshire newspaper, the "Philbrick James Forum," created by townspeople who felt neglected by mainstream media. Boisvert is asked why she thinks the regional papers were not covering the area in which she lives.

This article announces the resignation of John S. Carroll as one of the editors of Los Angeles Times on July 21, 2005. In each of his incarnations, the name Carroll has been synonymous with quality journalism. This is not a period noted for its roster of great editors, towering figures like Ben Bradlee and Gene Patterson and Gene Roberts and Tom Winship. But Carroll belongs in that company. Carroll worked for Roberts at the Philadelphia Inquirer before moving on to the top editing position at Lexington Herald, the Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times. But it was at Times that he performed some of his most impressive magic. Carroll had the courage to put controversial journalism in the paper and to stand behind it when it came under fire for bogus reasons. When the critics, many of them with political axes to grind, howled in protest, Carroll hung tough. The journalism was sound, and important.

This article implies that Representative Joe Barton (R-Tex.) benefited from the lay-offs at Dallas Morning News, which included editorial writers Timothy O'Leary and Jim Frisinger. O'Leary and Frisinger accused Barton of using his position and political power to protect companies that pollute North Texas with their cement plants. Local advocates for clean air drew comfort from these editorials. They felt that the paper was on their side in the fight against Barton. But now, says Wendi Hammond, executive director of Blue Skies Alliance in Dallas, there are a lot of people in the environmental community who are not happy with the lay-offs of O'Leary and Frisinger, fearing that this had something to do with political pressure. Of course, the newspaper denies this but a meeting between Barton and James J. Moroney III, published of Dallas Morning News, casts doubt on this assertion. Also present at meeting was Robert W. Mong Jr., top editor for the newspaper. After that, O'Leary's editorials concerning Barton never appeared in the newspaper. And since that meeting, the few references to Barton on the editorial page have been much more respectful in tone. Readers active in air quality issues have complained, in letters to the editor and on their Web sites, about the perceived change.

This article presents the author's perspective on the economic difficulties and subsequent layoff at many American newspapers. He objects to how the corporate entities that own the newspapers attempt to frame the cutbacks. They try to make the reductions seem like an opportunity for the papers to do more. The author recognizes the economic realities but finds the propaganda insulting.

This article presents the author's perspective on the relationship between newspapers and their websites, specifically the way in which advertising is presented. Although many newspapers are reluctant to put ads on the front page of their papers, they show no such reluctance on their websites. The author is critical, not so much of the ads themselves, but of their disorganized and unstructured nature. The site's layouts are suffering by the cluttered, unfocused approach, which is less about the viewer and more about attracting advertising revenue.

This article analyzes the ramifications of newspapers' reducing foreign coverage to save money. The author feels that journalism's watchdog role has long been crucial and reporting on the world, and America's role in it, is a basic part of the mandate. But it's one that's increasingly endangered. The retreat by the television networks began long ago. In recent years many papers, the Boston Globe, the Baltimore Sun, Newsday, to name a few, have dramatically reduced their rosters of foreign correspondents.

This article examines the ways in which newspapers are preparing for a print-free future, when all their content will be exclusively online. New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger caused a small controversy within the newspaper industry recently, when he said his paper may not be in print in five years. The author feels that Sulzberger may have exaggerated a little bit but the spirit behind his words still stands. The challenge is about the day newspapers' print customers and advertisers can no longer support the costs of journalism.

This article deals with the unusual layout used by McClatchy for its newspapers. The Herald in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the Merced Sun-Star in California, the Anchorage Daily News and the Tacoma News Tribune in Washington serve their readers by jumping most of their page-one stories directly to the back page. When McClatchy bought the Herald from the Daniels family in 1990, corporate officials suggested a new layout, including a back page where front-page articles could jump. But instead of mandating or regulating the style, McClatchy allowed the paper to decide. But McClatchy started the practice decades ago, with a small announcement on Al--no jump--in the Sacramento Bee on September 26, 1968. No McClatchy editor claims to jump 100 percent of the stories--the Modesto Bee was highest with an estimated 95 percent--but most adhere to the general principle.

This article introduces the reader-friendly tabloid version of the broadsheet Patriot-News which is being circulated in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as of August 2005. Unlike the tabloids launched in recent years by many major daily newspapers, it is not free and it is not expressly designed to appeal to young readers or commuters. Instead, the Patriot-News, part of the Newhouse chain, took a new tack with its compact edition, the Patriot. By culling and trimming the top stories and dropping some comics, police blotters and stock tables, the newspaper has created an abbreviated version of the traditional broadsheet aimed at a more general market: busy people. Furthermore, the Patriot-News is believed to be the first newspaper in North America to offer two different formats daily. However,newspaper analysts say it would be difficult and expensive to run two versions of the same paper indefinitely.