More newspaper job cuts: City News Service R.I.P.

A vicious cycle: Newspaper readership is down. Ad revenue is down. People turn to the Internet (and the Daily Show!) for news. Reporters lose their jobs. Newspapers do a worse job of covering the news. More people stop reading. Fewer ads, fewer jobs, fewer readers.

In another example of why newspapers are becoming less relevant and blogs are becoming more important, the Chicago Tribune has decided to close its City News Service and eliminate many jobs and some features.

The City New Service not only gathered and distributed news, it also served as a training ground for some of this country's finest writers. What I find extraordinary is that my three all-time favorite authors, my writing heroes--Mike Royko, Seymour Hersh, and Kurt Vonnegut--all got their start at City News Service. I should have known they had something in common. And now it's gone.

This is exactly why I'm starting this blog. As I develop it, I hope to provide news and commentary about local news that people aren't getting elsewhere. If you are entertained or interested, please pass it on to your friends. If you hate it or are bored, pass it on to your enemies.