To the editor: One thing is clear from the story about the Bay Area community of Richmond, California, a city of more than 100,000 that has only one news source funded by a local industry giant: This cannot be the future of trusted local news. (“This California Town Lost Its Daily Newspapers. It Faces a Crisis Over What Comes Next,” July 24)
If the purpose of local media is not just to be a means of reporting on various events, but also a source of independent analysis, we need self-funded community coverage.
In Western North Carolina, where I am from, a community-focused news source called The Paper has emerged to fill information gaps that would otherwise be funded by corporations. All stories are local, and it has a staff dedicated to analyzing local institutions and holding them accountable to the public.
The newspaper is a non-profit organization and is funded by grants and a journalism foundation, as well as advertising. There is sustainability and independence.
“Follow the money” is an apt phrase that applies to many things, including our information.
Aaron Kohrs, Alexandria, Virginia.
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To the editor: The decline in the impact of print news is probably inevitable, but there was a muted edge to his reporting on the decline of the news industry that was hard to ignore.
Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, her cover has featured several articles portraying her as an underdog who will struggle to overcome all of her weaknesses and flaws.
Of course, I don't expect all of your coverage to be focused on praising his turnout or his remarkable rise in the polls, but a better balance of the negative would be appropriate.
Instead, I see the biased information I saw in the New York Times, which led me to cancel that subscription. I hope I don't have to do that with you.
Nick Duretta, Pasadena
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To the editor: Thank you for writing about the sharp decline in newspaper circulation.
Although I continue to receive your newspaper, I intend to cancel my subscription at some point. The reason for my cancellation is the decrease in news coverage from a politically centrist point of view, as opposed to the common leftist point of view offered by your staff.
Will it take a complete death for you to realize that you are no longer serving a large enough audience?
Mark Forbes, Glendale
