Where's My Newspapers?

It seems that on a daily basis I go through a series of whiplashes as one business after another either seeks the temporary shelter of Chapter 11 or, worst of all, going out of business entirely. Whiz – there goes another one, not necessarily a name I’ve ever heard but turns out to be another significant cog in the wheel of misfortune of the economic crisis.

Whiz, whiz, whiz – one failure along side a dozen others and I’ve got a very severe crick in my neck. If I should close my eyes to escape the worsening affects of a demoralized business atmosphere, the winds of change won’t shelter my senses from the inevitable bad news.

Over the past few years, newspaper readership has steadily declined, thanks to the ever-flowing streams of data on the Internet. As circulation decreases so do advertising dollars and subscription increases would result in further deterioration of incoming revenues, the announcement that The Tribune Co (L A Times and Chicago Tribune) are biting the bitter bullet of its own filing of bankruptcy. At one time each of these newspapers greeting me every morning at the front door – an entry door to the ways and means of the world.

I’m nearly distraught at the thought that my current subscriptions are in jeopardy. The St. Pete Times and it’s driveway sidekick The New York Times - I dread the thought of loosing touch of local, national and worldly news at my fingertips.

What next? The demise of other publications? The Economist, Time, Discover, Business Week, etc., may one day no longer fill my mailbox with their individual in-depth reporting.

I say with determination that I will never rely on the Inet to gather news as I see fit to read. It’s all time-consuming and cumbersome in the scope of sifting through pop-ups and countless clicking to find items of interest. Generally speaking, an item of importance can be supplemented with information on the Inet but I don’t foresee a day when I will accept this as a primary source of news; I can’t take it with me or save articles for leisurely reading at a later time. Cable news is too extreme with lop-sided viewpoints.

What would I do without the Hernando Times? Days without Dan DeWitt? The loss of being informed on community affairs? I get distraught at the very thought.

I don’t anticipate an immediate loss of newsprint smudges around the house but one day I may have no choice but to accept the loss of the free press as I define it.