“People reading news for free on the Web, that’s got to change,” sez Rupert Murdoch. With newspapers folding all over the country, one might think that the journalism industry would actually get the hint.

Just like any other business, when the books don’t balance, you’ve got to cut costs, increase sales, raise your prices, improve the quality of your product, etc. Uhm! Here’s a novel idea for the mainstream media: improve the quality of your freakin’ product. Actually cover what people want to read. Don’t spoon feed us pablum or try tell us what’s newsworthy.

Anyway, it’s unlikely that people will pay for a product/service which they can get elsewhere for free.

I feel about as sorry for Murdoch as I do for AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Catfish Genome Project.

Of course, the some in the industry are calling for bailouts. This new bailout suggestion eliminates some First Amendment rights.

For years, the Internet has been my primary source of news. Sometimes I’d pick up a paper to read on the plane, but aside from that, I generally obtain my media from free sources. Since the advent of smart phones, I don’t even buy print newspapers any more. Pretty much the same for television broadcasting, but their aren’t asking for bailouts — yet.