After nearly 150 years, one of Denver’s major papers has closed. I think this counts as the first large metro to go under as of late.
I could pontificate and get on my soap box, but I won’t, except to say: I hope the public wakes up soon. Sure, newspapers are a dying breed, but the content that the dead-tree edition afforded us (literally, in ad dollars) to produce will inevitably die, too.
J-linx has good commentary on this subject, and it’s worth a read. The Rocky’s Web site (what’s left of it) has a good archive, including the final edition in PDF form.
I’ve been following this arrest of two Phoenix New Times executives with much interest. Sadly, it hasn’t surprised me much, considering Sheriff Joe’s tough law-enforcement approach in the past, although the quick turnaround by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas did.
The New Times folks wrote about what they called a “breathtakingly unconstitutional” request for information regarding their Web site users. They wrote about it, and were later sent to the slammer.
From a press conference today with Thomas regarding the arrest, via the New Times:
“There’s a big difference between that and putting his name and address on the front cover,” as the New Times did late in 2006. This reporter had to point out to Thomas that the law in question did not apply to print publication of such addresses, only Internet publication of same.
Thomas mumbled a response, to which I shot back: “So the law doesn’t matter to you?”
“That’s not what I said,” he frowned.
This ordeal happened around the same time of another alt-weekly arrest, this one in Orlando, where authorities say the paper aided and abetted prostitution.
I try not to get too worked up about this stuff, but considering it happened 90 miles up the road from my paper, it does make me a little squeamish.
