Newspaper work, in whatever form, is vital

Reflecting on his 38 years in the business, Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton leaves us with some great parting remarks in a column Sunday.

When he started most communities had two newspapers and now they are lucky to have one. Clifton reflects on the changes and concludes as the headline on the column states:

The work of newspapers, in whatever form, is vital

:To some - perhaps even to many - newspapers' demise would be no loss. To them, the press is an intrusive, sensational, often malevolent, purveyor of negativism," Clifobn writes.

He continues:

Newspapers are a dying medium, some say, and their death is being hastened by the Internet. The once-healthy profits are fading fast.

I hear this at least once a day: "I don't need the newspaper; I get my news from the Internet."

Of course, that's not true. People who prefer the Internet do get their news from the newspaper. The Internet doesn't produce the content, it merely distributes it.

We prove Clifton’s point here. He does the thinking. He does the writing. We just steal it to put on our website for you to read.

All you have to do is click on the headline. But remember where you go it.