The Broadsheet Bailout

First Citigroup, next GM, and now CT politicians are trying to get the state government to bailout two failing local newspapers: the Bristol Press and the New Britain Herald

http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/12/ten-legislators-try-to-save-br.html

Hey, it's more fun than trying to fix the upcoming $6 billion state deficit, let's just make it a little larger, why don't we ? http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ap-ct-connecticutbudgetnov12,0,6387368.story?track=rss

Now it's a shame that two communties of about 70,000 residents apiece won;t have a local newspaper next year. But the Journal Register company has done such a great job of gutting the coverage of these papers to squeeze out revenue there's really no local paper now. The circulation of each paper is now under 10,000---evidently it's easy enough to get the weather report and the sports scores on cable TV or AM news radio.  Perhaps a local "shopper" can start printing obits--it;s like the only local news content left for these rags

The argument of course is we need to "save" 100 jobs. But of course, not all jobs are created equal. A rather large moving company in New Britain failed last month. No state legislator lifted a finger http://www.courant.com/community/news/nb/hc-nebmover-1010,0,4549724.story?track=rss

The regular working stiffs are only going to get the bill  for "saving" the jobs of folks in more politically correct industries.