Shall we blame the economy or the readership?

The St. Petersburg Times has announced it will enter a hiring freeze and offer retirement incentives to employees to cut costs at this Poynter-owned nonprofit newspaper. The newspaper has seen declining advertising revenues due to the overall economic downturn being experienced in the country. Or at least that's what reason the editor gave to employees in a letter.

The thing I like the best is the comments on the story. From disgruntled employees to former subscribers, people certainly have a lot to say about the state of business at the St. Petersburg Times. I think the comments about local news are particularly interesting, because I believe that is what will keep newspapers relevant in the lives of readers. If they never see themselves in the paper, it certainly becomes irrelevant. Additionally, a newspaper has to prove it can reach the readers that advertisers also want to reach. Without advertisers, I don't know whether newspapers will have the support they need to pursue their true mission.

I also like the idea of non-profit newspapers. They can pay their staff well without turning a profit. I think the community can respect that as well. It would solve a lot of the problems with advertising crossing into news and asking for favors.