Kill Another Hostage

The terrorist and the hostages scenario -- does this ever work? I'm not sure what's going on with the newspaper union since I'm not there, but it seems like the deal was, pass on your 2% raises or we fire more people. And they did. They let go more reporters.

I'm not sure how this works if the stated goal is still to become a local news paper -- how do you do this without reporters? Already all the feature material is syndicated. Do they really expect to sell a newspaper that is 95 percent AP wire copy?

Eventually, who and what will the executives on the upper floors manage?

Addendum to the post:

At the last conference where I heard Procter speak, he said don't send them press releases. They don't read them. No time. Too many. Call a reporter instead and make an appointment to come in and pitch your story. (My theory at the time was there would also be an ad rep at the table telling you the best way to get your story out would be to buy advertising.)

Now I wonder who do you call when there are no more reporters? It may be the era of not only news freshly ripped off the AP wire and served to you a day cold -- long after you've already read it online -- but also press releases barely edited by the one old coot left on the copy desk rim. The old richmond.com used to do that. (Not to be confused with the new richmond.com which just links you to AP stories now.)

A new daily needs to rise from the ashes, one without stockholders, marketing departments, or floors full of executives, directors, and multiple layers of editors, a daily with the goal of providing a readable product of local news and information and keeping the lights turned on as proof of success, even if it means everyone working from home on a laptop network.