I made the decision to read one Sunday paper this week. Based on the price and idea that local news is most important, I bought the SF Chronicle.
The only other choices at the smoke shop were the Chron, NY Times, San Jose Mercury News, and Marin Independent Journal. So I chose the Chron. in its new shrunken more attractive format.
There was a investigative story about the way how the SF 49ers and the City have gotten into the demise it is in now. On the brink of moving to Santa Clara, the team has been in the middle of a struggle between two municipalities and there has been plenty of finger-pointing. From Mayors Feinsten to Willie Brown to Gavin Newsom, the City leaders have had different styles of approach to the team. The largest scapegoat in the article is former owner Eddie Debartolo, who was busted for a bribery in Louisiana and subsequently was involved in a power struggle with his sister Denice and her husband John York. If you follow the 49ers, these names should be too familiar.
Well, I am going through the rest of the paper. It definitely has a local feel, from an article about how the recession has hurt redevelopment in Downtown Oakland to the recent no-hitter by Jonathan Sanchez of the SF Giants. It definitely seems like our City’s culture is defined by its sports.
The rest of the paper is mostly rehash and summaries of stories from other news services. Most of the stories are not heavy reading, requiring no more than 5-10 minutes to read. I suppose that is the target audience of our paper. Readers usually sift through what they find interesting, glance through most articles, look for eye-candy, and people feel like they stay informed and knowledgeable about the world.
I still don’t feel a trust and connection with the SF Chronicle. The many years of poor quality news and alienation of some communities will take even longer to reverse. But I will try to buy the paper when I get the chance.
I would like to read a paper like the NY Times, but its news is not local and the $6 Sunday price is ridiculous. I am going to try out the Mercury or Independent Journal or Contra Costa Times.

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