Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the federal government has acknowledged that the press is an institution which is afforded special protections by name. Yet, newspapers across the country are closing down or facing bankruptcy at an alarming rate. Among them are The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and The Rocky Mountain News, Unless something is done soon, it is possible that many metropolitan regions may have no local daily newspapers.
The plight of the newspaper industry has been punctuated by substantial job losses, downsizing at various bureaus, and the halting of either printed editions or business-wide operations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, newspaper publishers cut nearly 50,000 jobs between June 2008 and June 2009, a record rate of job cuts representing 15 percent of its workforce.
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