Letters to the Editor: A pandemic is the worst time for local newspapers to die

To the editor: It was disheartening to read about the decline of local newspapers throughout the nation, including several sister publications of the Los Angeles Times. Although there is never a good time for an industry to collapse, I cannot think of a worse time for print journalism to do so than right now.

Growing up reading the daily newspaper gave me a glimpse of the world around me and beyond my neighborhood. I read about faraway places, people and issues. More importantly, reading newspapers helped me decipher between fact and opinion.

My favorite assignment in 6th-grade English was creating our own newspaper. I never had a knack for putting words in an order that appealed to readers, but I have always admired those who did.

Today, I share the joy of reading a newspaper with my 13-year-old son, to whom I pass on the important skill of deciphering fact from opinion.

Jason Y. Calizar, Torrance

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To the editor: I want to thank the entire staff of the Los Angeles Times for continuing the hard work of putting out a daily newspaper during this enormously difficult time.

You continue to produce a quality product, even though I see, from how thin the paper has become, there is seriously diminished advertising revenue.

I appreciate everything that all the writers, editors, photographers, print production folks and others do. And, I really appreciate the generosity and leadership of Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, whose purchase of The Times in 2018 was a great gift to me as a subscriber and to the entire city and region.

Jeffrey Rabin, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I’m really sorry to see the end of the award-winning Glendale New-Press, which has been around since 1905.

Reading the News-Press is how I found out that the Glendale City Council had passed a more strict requirement for wearing masks than Los Angeles County. It helped me feel connected to community life and happenings that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

To all those journalists who worked hard on local news, we in Glendale, La Crescenta and Montrose say thank you for your service.

Bruce Alvord, La Crescenta