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ongtime Denverites have witnessed a profound change in the media business. We watched one major newspaper disappear (the ) more than 10 years ago, and we’re seeing in real time the dismantling of another major daily (the ) as its hedge fund owners cut costs to keep profit margins up. For anyone who cares about accountability and oversight of the public and private institutions in our city and region, this is unequivocally Journalism” (page 102), by Michael Behar, grew out of a desire to understand how several online-only local news outlets—many of which happen to be run by expats—are funding their newsrooms in these challenging times and attempting to reach consumers who appear to be ill-informed about the health of journalism. Behar’s narrative tells the coming-of-age story of these startups, which are testing different business models in an effort to revitalize local media. So far, they’ve made a valiant effort; however, the biggest question may be less about whether Denver’s shrinking pool of journalists can deliver credible news in digital-only formats and more about whether Coloradans are willing to pay to read it. That’s the part of the story that’s still being written.
