#3 Bill, thx for the nice words the other day on Russert.

Econ theory would predict that the lack of competition would cause exactly what you described. Someone at your previous profession admitted to a similar result when Cleveland’s other daily (don’t remember the name) went under. And we all know how the Enky declined once the Post became a non-player, and then was euthanized.

You are right on, Tom. In my previous profession, it was widely said that the AP was famous for inaccuracy. There was a story in a journalism review long ago that I can recall. It was under a headline that said something like “a mistake a minute,” or some such. The move to charge bloggers for content comes, I believe, at the same time that newspapers are backing off AP. The traditional print outlets for the wire service are using it less, and have complained for years about shoddy service and incomplete news budgets. So AP is looking for a revenue source — any revenue source. Many journalists think that the decline of AP began when its rival U.S. wire service UPI pretty much disappeared for the scene. There was a time when competition over stories are fierce, but when UPI shut its bureaus and left the scene — well, AP just got flabby and lazier. There are many great journalists at AP, and they are hardworkers and honest information gatherers. But the management they toil for has a reputation for being inept at best.