People in California won’t care if the Boston Globe goes under, but Massachusetts citizens will lose a serious resource in the absence of the Globe Spotlight Team in its investigations. A couple of years ago San Diego reporters spent TWO YEARS investigating and meticulously documenting graft in weapons appropriations for their longtime congressman. I believe they rec’d a Pulitzer for it. Nevertheless their paper is no more (for more on this reference NPR’s interview with Alex S. Jone’s here: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/news_events/recent_links.html#losing). Nothing that I’ve seen for free online can come close to filling that gap.

The kind of lifestyle and advocacy writing that comprises most blogs can’t replace serious investigative journalism. I, for one, am willing to pay for serious online content. I already subscribe to physical papers–I would pay the same amount for online content, especially if it’s demonstrably equivalent to current print press standards.

You’re probably correct about the current economic model not serving the current newspaper with its mix of local, human interest, lifestyle, etc. plus serious reportage. But we definitely need depth reporting and asking for it for free is not the answer.

Finally, if you have independent web news links that you think are really good, I’d appreciate seeing a list of links. Thanks.