My thoughts on the "dying dinosaur"

It made me very sad to see today that The Rocky Mountain News will no longer be publishing. I wrote a paper for one of my classes last spring about the News and the Denver Post's JOA and how each newspaper compared to the other. Though I've never been to Denver and never was able to see the actual print version of the News, I did spend quite a bit of time on its Web site, analyzing its content and looking over its media kit.

It's a difficult time in journalism right now, especially print journalism (particularly newspapers). I'm trying to stay positive and one of my wise former-professors has drilled into my mind that newspapers are some of the most lucrative businesses in the U.S. - it's just the credit hole that they're all in that's making this economic time particularly trying.

As a journalism student looking at my career options come May, the prospects aren't looking too bright. I got a late start due to transferring in the middle of my college career and trying to do in two years what everyone else in my major does in three. I've worked hard to get the writing and editing experience I need, but that might just not be enough. It's competitive out there and even the best and brightest aren't getting jobs right now.

But I believe newspapers will survive. I think their purpose and what they give back to society is too great for them to fail. It's going to be rough, but I think in the end newspapers will come out strong. In the past few months my appetite for news has grown to an almost insatiable level and I find myself constantly checking for the newest headline.

I've begun seeking out more and more news outlets just to find out what is going on in different places. Maybe it's because I'm just becoming a "news junkie" - or maybe it's something else. Maybe others are realizing, too, that this service provided to citizens by journalists is a worthy service and one that cannot die.

It needs to survive.