Is this a Good Example of why the New York Times is Going Broke?

Click on the link below to see what a member of the New York Times editorial board wrote about the Northport, Long Island Tea Party:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07tue4.html

The editorial, written by editorial board member Lawrence Downes, presents a negative, very cynical view of the Long Island Tea Party. I don't happen to agree with this editorial, but I support the right of Mr. Downes to write it.

I would also like to note, however, that the New York Times, and similar newspapers, are in deep financial trouble. They are running out of money because people won't buy their printed editions, and people won't pay to suscribe to their online editions, and people are finding cheaper and better places to advertise.

The New York Times is in terribly weak financial condition.

If you read the Downes editorial, you may come to the same conclusion as me, and that is that Mr. Downes doesn't live in the same America as me. He's spent too much time isolated in top floor conference rooms with too many other cynical journalists and editors.

This is a good time to pull the plug on newspapers. A 5% drop in revenue and readership would take many of them over the edge.

April is about to become "Tax Freedom" month but April 15, 2009 should also become Cancel-Your-Newspaper day and more important Pull-Your-Small-Business-Advertising day.

I'd like to put things in perspective. This analogy is for football fans (and everyone else). Long ago, coaching legend Tom Landry told his players not to do the end zone dance for two reasons -- (1) You should never look surprised to be in the end zone; and (2) Never anger your opponents or give them anything to use as motivation.

Therefore . . . accept that "journalists" like Lawrence Downes are going to write negative editorials about Tea Parties (it's not a big deal, he works for a dinosaur newspaper that no one pays attention to anymore). Don't waste your time complaining about negative coverage (a guy like Downes lives for your complaints, he savours them). Just pull the plug on traditional journalism. Cancel your subscription. Pull your advertising. Tell local businesses to do the same. A few more percent loss of circulation and advertising revenue will create a new chapter in the history of many regional daily newspapers -- chapter 11.

It's where they belong.