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It’s very sad. Newspapers are the last defense against authoritarians. I’m happy that Bezos has kept the Washington Post a strong bulwark. Maybe he could spread some of those billions around to smaller papers. At least he hasn’t done a Berlusconi and parlayed it into a political career.

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Jan 17, 2022Liked by Ken Tingley

I do so value the job journalists do to get us the truth and the depth of what matters to many of us. I think young people are missing so much by not reading newspapers. Yes, they're busy, but so are we all and the fact others chip away at the base by claiming "fake news" isn't helping. Neither of my grown children read newspapers and I find that very sad indeed.

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author

Many young people do read online versions of newspapers. But not enough.

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Jan 17, 2022Liked by Ken Tingley

That was a tragic personal loss for those survivors but also for that Community in Maryland. It also puts a damper on all other reporters.

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It was only a year later that a man was waving a toy gun at a reporter in Glens Falls. I think you can make the case that this event emboldened some people against members of the press.

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So many depressing elements in that story. One not emphasized is the fact that one reporter for the paper, a professional, had a salary of $34,000 in a high cost area near DC. Not a fair wage. One upbeat note for that region - a wealthy local businessman is trying to establish a new online news site. Dave Nathan

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You are right on the mark about the salaries. That has already been a problem at small community newspapers.

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