While I’d really like the printed Seattle Post-Intelligencer to continue, and believe it can continue, the real issue in this discussion goes beyond the fate of newsprint.

There’s nothing in the Constitution that says the constant search for Truth has to be subsidized by the purveyors of subdivision homes and used cars. Nor did the ancient Greek gods proclaim that investigative reporting need be in the same package as recipes, box scores, and comic strips.

The American newspaper as we’ve known it since the 1950s is not really what we’re trying to save.

What we’re trying to preserve and strengthen is local news coverage.

It’s just that a workable 21st century business model has yet to magically appear that would support teams of full-time professional journalists.

So we continue to flail and stumble and experiment.

So let’s give a hearty 1/20/08 welcome to David Goldstein, Josh Feit, and Sandeep Kaushik as they launch the newest such experiment, Publicola.