Newspapers at risk

I am a firm believer that most things are political in the end. That and this is my little spot in cyber space. Within reason, I get to write what I want.

Right now, I want to write about the state of the newspaper industry. And no, I don't intend for this to be a boring lecture-like blog.

Newspapers aren't doing too well lately. It's tough economic times for all, but newspapers seem to be taking a hit -- and have been taking that hit for a while now.

I've grown concerned about the industry, particularly over the past week.

The Day of New London announced they were laying off another 11 employees last week. I believe nine of them were from the newsroom.

Then came the announcement by the Journal Register Company that it will be closing several of its papers, including the New Britain Herald.

The company followed up that announcement with more talk of layoffs today. The New Haven Register is planning to eliminate about 20 jobs.

Thankfully, the Record-Journal's publisher says Meriden's hometown paper is doing O.K., but that doesn't change what is happening to newspapers nationwide.

It is depressing to see an industry -- one that has served the American people for so long -- start to fade.

One of my favorite quotes is the following: "Journalism is the first rough draft of history."

I desperately want to believe that is still true.

I'm not a math whiz, and I certainly do not claim to know all about the newspaper industry, but I do recognize that the industry will not survive when publications close and when so many jobs are cut. Soon, eager young journalists will follow another career path, and America will lose out on creating that first rough draft of history.

That is my initial reaction to the recent announcements. Beyond that, I welcome all thoughts. We need to work together to get this industry back on its feet.