Well, only a couple of weeks later, the newspaper world was shocked yet again by another closure announcement, this time in Seattle. Hearst, the parent company of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, told newsroom employees on Friday that it will likely shutter the newspaper in 60 days if a buyer is not found, ceasing operation of the state's oldest publication.
Many people in the know had long thought that the P-I would buy out its competitor the Seattle Times, but very few believed the rainy city would remain a two newspaper town. The P-I is a terrific newspaper and one that I have often used in my First Amendment journalism searches. It's unfortunate that so many talented journalists will soon be thrown into a market that cannot absorb them.
On a larger scale, it's mostly unfortunate that yet another town will be reduced to one newspaper and suffer the inevitable loss of quality journalism that accompanies that reality.
