Readers who don't own computers feel slighted

Paul Moore, public editor of the Baltimore Sun, says newspaper readers who don’t own computers feel slighted.

The lead graphs of his report:

The Sun, like many newspapers, is shifting more content from its traditional print edition to its Web site. Economic pressures have forced newspapers to reduce their print content, and editors are trying to mitigate that loss by posting this missing material on their Web sites. These moves also appeal to journalists already worried about growing competition from Internet news sources.

But some print edition readers can't or won't use the Internet and are frustrated because certain of their favorite items have been deleted from their newspaper. I've talked to a number of these frustrated subscribers in recent weeks, and it's difficult to know how to respond. Many have told me they either can't afford to buy or don't want to use a computer.

That means they won't be able to access the growing online world of newspapers.

A longtime reader from Essex summed it up: "If you are putting more and more material online only, you are making it less and less desirable for those of us who buy your newspaper every day. We represent the readers who have stayed with The Sun through thick and thin. We are living with what we get - but it doesn't mean we like it."

Click on the headline to read Moore’s full report.