Also the consolidation that followed the growth of the internet, which gutted smaller papers and centralized every function from writing g to printing on huge digital presses. Its been 25 years since local newspapers were anything more than one of many profit centers for a corporate owner, and since reporters were actually literate and put down roots in the communities they covered. Nowadays a reporter job is just a stepping stone to something better, like being a blogger.
Yep.
It is said about the Des Moines Register that it was once read in DC to find out what midwesterners thought. Now it’s just another outlet for DC telling midwesterners what to think.