Newspapers’ fate

I don’t agree with Tim Rutten that “the most recent declines in newspaper readership may be, in some large part, a consequence of excessive cuts in promotion and circulation budgets across the industry over the last five years” [“Don’t Print the Obit Just Yet,” May 7].

The country has taken a hard turn to the right politically, and culturally has become less literate. The question is how newspapers respond to this trend. Do they dumb-down their coverage and try to appease people who will always be hostile to investigative journalism? Or do they play to their strengths and maintain their integrity in the face of declining readership?

The latter is a painful path to take, but best if accepted before the remaining credibility of newspapers is lost. That Judith Miller is being made a journalistic martyr illustrates how much serious reporting in America has lost its way.

Once upon a time, concert pianists were as big celebrities as the Brad Pitts of today. However, you shouldn’t develop washboard abs to be a great pianist, and you shouldn’t tabloidize a newspaper to keep it relevant.

David Garza

Glendale