I'm with ya. Hard to see many--if any--rays of hope for the profession, though.

I also began my journalism career as a carrier for the C-J.

My family moved to Columbus juuuust before the C-J folded, so I just sort of remember it, but it's crazy to think there used to be two dailies in town--and that the Dispatch was an afternoon paper. Never quite understood the afternoon paper thing. But anyway. Thought this was a good read:

Colombia Journalism Review
The Grave Dancer's Folly

Rather than punish newspapers for their sins, we should work to find ways to preserve and transfer their most important attributes to a digital era, even as we push them to adapt to new financial, technological, and cultural realities. ... (W)hat has always worked for journalism is the public-service mission, the idea that it is crucial to have people who make their living by going out into the world and doing their imperfect best to tell us what is happening there and why—especially when it involves those things that powerful people and institutions would rather we not know.

More .

Wiki Journalism
Is Rachel Stern’s DIY news the future of citizen journalism?
http://www.newyorkreviewofideas.com/200 ... ournalism/

Ann Arbor paper goes tits up.

This is pretty wild. seems the first axe blow struck the trunk of the paper tree in 1981. Oddly prophetic towards the end.

Fwix looks kind of interesting. Going to play around with it at some point. Simple localized newsfeed and sharing.

http://columbus.fwix.com/

or maybe it's just a bad product:

Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low
Public Evaluations of the News Media: 1985-2009
http://people-press.org/report/543/