When you can't beat them join them

Many newspaper companies, such as the Tribune Co., are embracing what many refer to as "crunch time". Right before our very eyes the Internet, being newspapers' main contender, is swallowing print media's profit almost entirely.

While there is always tension between the journalistic imperatives of a paper and its need to make money, the current struggle is about survival against a powerful and largely unpredictable new competitor that is forcing news organizations to completely rethink their mode of distribution.

Newspapers all over are quickly seeing their declining numbers in readership as a warning sign that they must prepare to take steps toward their paper's survival. Just as an indexical sign of a person knocking at your door means they want in, paper's drastically losing profit means they must cut their reporter and editorial staff. Convergence to the internet is what's being signified, and it's also the dominant reading of how newspapers will stay in business. Unfortunately, the signifiers of this huge issue include forcing the company to make big job cuts and also turning to the pricey internet.