Good Morning and hopefully we can get through all this rain this weekend!

It was the biggest mystery of our time. Who was 'Deep Throat?' The well-connected informant who let Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in on the Watergate scandal. It brought down President Richard Nixon and change the face of newspapers forever.
Well, 'Deep Throat' was a man named Mark Felt, the FBI's second in command during the 1972 break-in.
The stories broken by the Post and movie 'All the President's Men' brought many of us to this industry. We had a chance to make real change. We could dig down deep and expose all kinds of wrong-doing.
Sure, not everybody would get a story like Watergate fall into their laps, but it was the possibility that got us going.
In the 36 years since, the newspaper business has changed. In case you don't know, newspapers are in trouble. Every company who runs this media is facing a major downturn. There are layoffs, some so severe many daily newspapers are having trouble putting a product on the street.
The two Detroit newspapers earlier this week announced they were going to stop home delivery except on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. There would still be a paper on the newsstands, but it would be scaled down, chasing everybody to the Web sites.
While many are predicting the death of the newspaper industry, that's where we are going to survive. Sure, there are thousands of Web sites out there to get any kind of news you want. You can find out where Britney was last night and the score of every soccer game in the world whenever you want. You can probably even get live updates of Brad Pitt picking his nose if you wanted.
Anyway, the thing about newspapers is they have survived for hundreds of years, through lean times, although maybe not as lean as now.
The bottom line is the best place to get news about your town is through places like delcotimes.com. Those bigger places aren't going to let you know if there is a tax hike in Aston or if the county council is going to approve land grants to build a stadium in Chester.
Somehow, in some form, this industry will survive. We just have to figure out how to do it.
So, we'll keep looking for the next 'Deep Throat' and making sure you know what's going on.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

GOOD MORNING, DELAWARE COUNTY!

About six months ago I was posed a question: Is the newspaper business dead?
Here's how I answered:
I don't think it's dead. I believe newspapers, and by that end newspaper companies, still have the best talent and means to get the news to people in their community. Journalists are trained a certain way. They ask the right questions. They dig for dirt when needed and aren't afraid to get their fingers dirty (at least most are).
That doesn't mean the only thing worth putting in a newspaper is doom and gloom. There are plenty of uplifting stories out there.
While television 'journalists' give us quick hits and make a big stink about being down the street with lights, cameras and action, they aren't really doing any hard work. For the most part, television 'journalists' follow newspapers. They see what stories are being reported, then react.
Newspapers, though, are changing. I believe to remain alive we need to put as much emphasis on our local Web sites as we have for our papers. It's becoming a lot easier to carry an Iphone on the bus than a newspaper.
With wireless networks all over the place, we have to morph into a hybrid of print and Internet coverage. We can give readers much more on our Web sites than any other place, be it coverage of municipal meetings, the big High School baseball game or how your neighbor is helping out by selling lemonade on the street.
Are newspapers dead? No, just different. I don't know if my daughter, now 3, will ever read a traditional newspaper. She will want the news, though, and there's no better place than right here.



If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com