Since the L.A. Times doesn’t have content equal to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, charging for content is doomed. Especially since they continue to ax worthwhile sections of the paper it unique.
Marc Cooper tells the dismal tale of this once superior newspaper that, thanks to Sam Zell buying it, is now little better than Patch. Zell, a grasping greedy billionaire bragged about how he was going to dumb the L A. Times and has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He plundered the pension fund to pay for the purchase and most of the good journalists have already left.
The Hartford Courant, “the oldest continually publishing newspaper in the country” is also owned by Zell. It’s now microscopic both in size and in content. A few years back they fired a reporter who did an unfavorable story about a big advertiser. #fishwrap