One of the most interesting concepts that has been advanced holds that, sooner or later, newspapers will adopt the public radio model and offer memberships in the paper.
It is remarkable that anyone thought they could start a newspaper with little hope for advertising revenue and less hope for reliable delivery. And yet, on Oct. 23, 1787, the first issue of the first newspaper in Berkshire County, the American Centinel, appeared.
The majority of the comments are thoughtful, well-written and advance the discussion of the issues at hand. But some are mean-spirited and irrelevant to the topic.
“What’s happening at The Eagle is partly an indicator of what’s happening to local journalism nationally and partly the result of the ownership structure it’s caught in right now. Digital First is in the financial engineering business, not the journalism and civic engagement business."
-- Bill Densmore, lecturer at the Reynolds Institute of Journalism at the University of Missouri and co-founder of the Williamstown Advocate
