Worse and worser news about newspapers

Michael Hirschorn of The Atlantic writes that maybe -- just maybe -- The New York Times could go out of business, or at least stop publishing a print edition, sometime this year. But the bad news doesn't end there: "In December, the Fitch Ratings service, which monitors the health of media companies, predicted a widespread newspaper die-off: 'Fitch believes more newspapers and news­paper groups will default, be shut down and be liquidated in 2009 and several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010.'" Still, Hirschorn sees some hopeful signs that journalism may survive -- and perhaps thrive -- long after newspapers disappear.