Swan Songs comment thread

In this week's news article, Swan Songs at the Strib, Beth Hawkins wonders if the departure of several prominent bylines at the Star Tribune will hurt the paper's relationship with its readers. Hawkins talks to veterans Al Sicherman and Jeremy Iggers about being two of 24 newsroom employees to take the recent buyout offer. An excerpt: "As a venture capital firm, Avista is expected by analysts to try to unload the paper in a few years at a handsome profit. With ad dollars shrinking, newspapers throughout the country are increasing profit margins by reducing staff, and Star Tribune management has been silent on the question of whether more jobs will be lost." Read the article here, then come back to discuss it.