Not so big news

http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A309076

Some Idaho newspapers, even though they are still profitable enough so that they would be considered successful by most other business model measurements, have acquired unhealthy habits of insensitively cutting corners, in the same areas, where they would likely do better to invest.

Mainly they shortchange long time dedicated employees their earned due, saddling them with double and triple workloads, along with less pay -basically nickel and dime-ing their best resources –those with irreplaceable institutional memories - to choiceless early retirements or abrupt career changes.

Another shortsighted aspect that hurts some newspapers is that publishers have become skittish about saying anything too controversial, which might offend paying advertisers.

Some subjects become potatoes too hot to handle for many tiny Idaho insulated communities. Moreover, advertisers have become adroit this fact and make publishers easily squirm by threatening to slide over to the Eveready competition.

With the ceaseless pressure of deadlines and a multitude of other glitches inherent to the print newspaper publishing business, true innovativeness and cutting-edge writing is being only half-embraced at best. After all, who has time to go Lewis & Clark pioneering, when that sword of Damocles deadline dangles over your head every week, regarding a dozen issues imperative to the locals?

The few exceptional newspaper editors and publishers who continuing to follow through on the aspirations of yesteryears trendsetting investigative journalists, should be heralded as courageous heroes and deserve continued support invested in many parameters from their loyal readers, in hopes of vastly improving our innovative information age.