Newspapers close. Who cares? There's still Internet. Well . . .

Princeton University took on the question of what happens to democracy when newspapers close, using the Cincinnati Post for its research. How's this for an attention-grabber: While there was only a 3.6% decrease in the number of candidates running for each office, there was a 16% increase in incumbents being re-elected? The contenders just didn't have a newspaper to make voters award of their candidacies.

The research is long, complicated and maybe boring to some, but you can click on the headline to check it out for yourself.

In another story, newspaper closings proved most damaging in smaller towns. Folks there have less access to the Internet, and even the Internet doesn't cover the local news and politicians' misbehavior as well. And often doesn't have the financial resources to challenge public documents that officials withhold unless there's a lawsuit.

Go to

HTTP://WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM/CONTENT/2009-04-20/NEWSPAPER-CLOSING-MOST-DAMAGING-SMALLER-TOWNS

for the details.

Another startling statistic: A century ago, 689 cities in the United States had competing daily newspapers. Today? About a dozen cities.

Forty-seven newspapers have closed their doors since 1990. Another five were swallowed in mergers with more viable competitors.

Go to

http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=1341

for the American Journalism Review story.

Here's a list of the newspapers that closed or merged. Read 'em and weep.

Anchorage Times
Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock
Evening Sun, Baltimore
Baton Rouge State-Times
Brooksville Daily Sun Journal, Florida
Coatesville Daily Record, Pennsylvania
Columbia News, Pennsylvania
Daily Independent, Conway, New Hampshire
Daily Journal, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Daily News, Alamosa, Colorado
Daily News, Camarillo, California
Dallas Times Herald
Evening Bulletin, Providence
Evening Express, Portland, Maine
Evening Sentinel, Ansonia, Connecticut
Fort Lauderdale News
Geauga Times Leader, Chardon, Ohio
Gwinnett Daily News, Georgia
Herald, Augusta, Georgia
Hollywood Sun, Florida
Houston Post
Hudson Dispatch, Union City, New Jersey
Kansas City Times, Missouri
Knoxville Journal
Lawton Evening Constitution, Oklahoma
Manchester Herald, Connecticut
New York Newsday
New York City Tribune
Newburgh Hudson Valley News, New York
Oregon City Enterprise-Courier, Oregon
Peninsula Times Tribune, Palo Alto
Pittsburgh Press
Press Courier, Oxnard, California
Press, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Richmond News Leader
Roanoke Times & World News
Sacramento Union
St. Louis Sun
San Antonio Light
San Diego Tribune
Santa Paula Chronicle, California
Shenandoah Evening Sentinel, Iowa
Shreveport Journal
Spokane Chronicle
The National (sports)
Times-Herald, Newport News
Tulsa Tribune

Newspaper Mergers

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (from Milwaukee Sentinel and Milwaukee Journal)
Montgomery Advertiser(from Montgomery Advertiser and Alabama Journal)
Morning News of Northwest Arkansas
Springdale(from Morning News and NorthWest Arkansas Morning News)
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle Cheyenne (from Wyoming Tribune and Wyoming Eagle)