If you haven’t heard, the LA Times, and newspapers nationwide, are in trouble. Due to competition from online news providers, blogs, and new media, the advertising dollar has dried up and fewer people are subscribing to the print edition of the newspaper. This does not surprise me. I’ve subscribed on and off to the newspaper through the years. Often canceling because I could barely find an article of interest to read.

It’s no surprise that the younger generations, if they are seeking to read news stories at all, are getting their information online. Reading news events is as much a pastime as reading novels for pleasure. I know many people who do not read the newspaper or follow the events around the world.

In a recent forum at the LA Public Library, the discussion revolved around the question: what can the LA Times do in the future? Sure, the LA Times can continue what it has done in the past. Focus on their primary sections: World News, California, Business, Sports, Opinion, and Entertainment with scattered topics through the week. Or it can define itself as unique. Take all of these sections with a distinctive Los Angeles perspective.

My attitude to news is: it’s a buffet now. I will read the Washington Post for politics, the LA Times for Angels/Dodgers, the NY Times for world news, the tech blogs for technology news, and the best source available for any particular topic. Since it’s impossible for every newspaper to cover every topic well, each newspaper needs to focus on the areas where they have the best possibility of researching accurately and effectively. Not to discredit the hard work of any journalist at any paper, but how can I expect the best writing and research about the Middle East from an LA paper? I expect a newspaper to know its own city and people the best, due to access and familiarity. Sadly, most newspapers have failed to embrace this reality yet, and until they do, the fight for a future will be unpleasant.

I highlight a comment of one of the forum members: Would it be so sacrilegious to have predominantly LA-related news stories on the front page? Something to think about.