We can all debate the demise of journalism and the death spiral of newspapers, but the bottom line is that I left The Morning Call because I could no longer say I was proud to work there.

Truth is I've felt rather ashamed of what the paper has been deteriorating into for quite some time.  I grew tired of having to respond to disgruntled readers in the field.  They know the paper sucks.  They know they’re being ripped off.  The paper’s smaller, there’s less content and the price just went up. 

Turning Bill White into a religious icon is not helping to increase readership.  Putting colored boxes on the front page doesn't make people want to buy the paper—they make it look cheap, like a low-budget knockoff of USA Today.  Putting cutout pictures of white men with their arms crossed on the front pages doesn't make people want to buy the paper—they make it look like The Morning Call’s demographic is incredibly small and narrow, made up of old white Dutchies who frequent diners and shoot deer on weekends.  Who the hell is at the helm, anyway?