Writing in The New York Times, Timothy Egan invokes the spirit of Thomas Jefferson in an impassioned plea for continuation of the status quo in the newspaper business. His argument is more eloquent than most, but it's predicated on two shaky assumptions. The first is that newspaper readership is higher today than ever. Egan calls this [...]...

An intern at the Tampa Tribune has posted excerpts from a remarkable speech by Editor in Chief Janet Coats to her newsroom the other day. The newspaper had just announced plans to cut its newsroom staff by about 10% or 21 people. Coats said some politically unpopular things. ""People need to stop looking at TBO.com [...]...

The Los Angeles Times will lay off 250 people, including 150 in the newsroom, in the latest round of Tribune Co. cutbacks. The layoffs have been rumored ever since Tribune Co. COO Randy Michaels singled out the paper as a trough of journalistic productivity in Tribune Co.'s portfolio. Tribune has since announced steep cuts in [...]...

One frequent criticism I hear from readers is that the Death Watch is too negative. While the title of this blog betrays a certain tongue-in-cheek pessimism, my intent is also to highlight the many new and innovative approaches to journalism that are emerging in an information-empowered world. Today I'll begin a series of periodic essays [...]...

Veteran journalist Ken Reich, a 39-year employee of the Los Angeles Times, died in his sleep last night. He posted his final entry on Take Back the Times just hours before he died. Reich retired from the Times four years ago and almost immediately began blogging. His blog was notable for its fine writing, its [...]...