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A Sad Story For Newspapers; What's black and white and red all over? A bloodied newspaper industry facing a shortage of buyers.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Jonathan Marino

Washington Post staffers were recently told they were to use mugs instead of paper cups as part of the newspaper's cost-cutting efforts. It's uncertain whether the mugs will be used for drinks or collections.

The renowned broadsheet is not alone in its efforts to cut costs. Newspapers in the US have been reduced to pinching pennies, as the print industry, much like any other segment of the nation's economy, faces a downward spiral into an abyss of red ink. Not everyone makes it, as is evident in the recent closure of the New York Sun.

From the the newsrooms of Pulitzer-winning titans to a layout desk in Topeka, Kan., one question hangs above all others: how can this be fixed?

"We were told that there will be no more purchasing extra items at Staples for supplies and no more Styrofoam cups," said one Washington Post staffer, lamenting the cutbacks.

The story is the same at the New York Times, whose credit rating in the...