“Ten years ago,” says Mark Katches, editorial director of California Watch, “there were 85 reporters covering the California state house; today there are fewer than 25.”
Katches sees California Watch, which officially launched yesterday after a soft launch period and months of preparation, as stepping into a “big void in doing investigative work in California.” Katches [...]

— How and where Google makes its money. Notice the string of red “X”s next to Google News (and many other products) — it’s the unending wave of cash generated by its advertising business that allows Google to spend so much of its energies on products that don’t raise a nickel.
— If you were planning [...]

— Frédéric Filloux sees flickers of hope for a business model for news. But first:
…before going any further, I want to make sure readers…have fully abandoned all hope for any turnaround whatsoever in newspaper business. Let’s face it: our beloved trade is spiraling down. We’ll see many fatalities and, of course, a few survivors.
— David [...]