Small_Website_Guy - 6:44 pm on Mar 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

Newspaper reporters and other writer face the problem that what they do for a living is something that people ENJOY DOING FOR FREE AS A HOBBY. Professional photographers do the same kind of whining. The internet has allowed hobbyists to steal marketshare from professionals.

When it comes to OPINION type writing, bloggers do as good or better of a job than newspapers.

But I don't see bloggers doing the time consuming work of original investigative reporting. Newspapers that do this well, like the Wall Street Journal, can charge money for reading its website and people pay. I pay for an online WSJ subscription and it's well worth the money.

The typical newspaper has little to offer except rehashed AP articles

Besides blogs, the simple fact of easy online access to news is killing demand newspaper reporters because how many reporters do you need to report on a national or global story? There's no longer any need for 10 newspapers to each have their own reporters do a story.