Newspapers were originally very good at being part of the communities they served. To save money, they started buying content, thus losing their connection to the community. Now that bought content is available for free all over the Internet, meaning that many newspapers have lost any edge they may have once had. TechDirt reports on a newspaper in Austin that has ties with the South By Southwest (SxSW) event and is doing very well thank you.
This is another example of the “local sells” idea that I have been pushing lately. But imagine if someone were selling local stories to a local newspaper — it would still lack a true connection to the community. So we’re not just talking about paying lip service to the idea of local content, but really being involved in and aware of local happenings.