The Incredible Shrinking Paper

The Philadelphia papers recently reduced their news staff again.  Now there is the possibility cutting even more staff.  The paper is already a shadow of its former self, thinner and lighter in size and content.  There is nothing left to cut.  Just as disturbing are some of the names in the group hoping to buy the papers.  Any successful growing city needs a robust local media.  Right now Philadelphia doesn't have it and what it does have is in danger. 

I read the paper on one of their Philly Tablets.  There are a few sponsors whose ads briefly appear on the tablet but I kind of miss seeing the multiple daily advertisements in the printed paper.  Surely there must be some way of creating an advertisement section for the tablet.  I don't read any of the sports section and usually skip the comics (since "For Better or Worse" ended the only one that appeals is "Zits") but I'd scan through the ads. 

We need a local paper with good investigative reporters, political reporters, feature writers, business writers, etc., and at least a few copy editors.  Without this counterbalance corruption and apathy run amok.  Bloggers and citizen journalists cannot pick up the slack.

This is a serious problem.