FWIW, the only papers that I read lately are the free ones available laying around coffee shops. The news stories are hopelessly slanted like the pay ones, but they fill the time while watching the scenery.
I've already read all the news, on-line, by the time a paper can land on my doorstep. Even if the papers weren't tilted left, they'd be dying. The leftish tilt probably accelerates the process - but not necessarily in Mercury-News land, which is as liberal as the newspaper.