the latest victim is the "times picayune." after 175 years, the paper is cutting its print addition to just three days a week. today, almost half the staff were let go. local paper here in new orleans. >> the "times picayune" is the voice of the city. >> i read the newspaper every day. it's a ritual in the culture. a big part of who we are. >> we have been around since 1837, 175 years. like every year, -- like every newspaper, the "* picky in" is fighting changes. we're going to have three additions, on monday, wednesday, and friday, but we will not print papers the other days of the week. the advertising has gone down so much. it's not because of the readership, it's because of the recession and everyone is getting their news online. the writing is on the wall. >> i don't read the "times picayune." people bring it in here occasionally, but i'm mostly online. >> i have been in journalism of one form or another since 1984. what has happened is this -- someone in new york has this notion that the future is on line. >> reducing o

"the times-picayune" became a lifeline to those trying to recover and rebuild. seven months later, loyola university communications professor larry lorenz underscored that vital role, in a conversation with the "newshour's" jeffery brown. >> in the civil war, oliver wendell holmes, the father of the later supreme court justice, wrote an essay called "bread and the newspaper." and in it, he said, "bread and the newspapers we must have." >> brown: so you've got to eat and people need information? >> you bet. the information that's in the newspaper feeds us as much as the bread feeds us. >> woodruff: but now, like a growing number of newspapers nationwide, "the times-picayune" faces a fight for survival. for a closer look at the impact of these changes and the reasons behind it, we're joined by jim amoss, whom you just saw, the editor of the "the times-picayune." he will continue to oversee content at nola.com. and david carr, who writes about the media business for the "new york times." and we thank you both for being with us. jim amoss, first to you. what is the

i'm very sad about "the times picayune" paper. i think it's an amazing paper, and as david carr wrote in the "new york times" today, part of the culture of the city, you know, sitting around, reading your paper, so that -- that's sad. great journalism can be practiced anywhere. we now have 500 reporters, editors, journalists that we pay full-time salaries, and we are a platform. you see, i think this is what we need to understand. we are two things, and i think more and more media operations are going to be two things, a journalistic enterprise that honors the best traditions of journalism and the platform that provides distribution to tens of thousands of people who otherwise who would not have had a voice. they can write or not write. they can take advantage of it or not take advantage of it. but many of them take advantage because it helps amplify their voices. it's also an addition platform. it's just amazing how many of our young bloggers who can be side by side with larry or well-known people get paid attention to, and they

just this week the new house papers cut 600 jobs, some at the new orleans "times-picayune" uni"whoseewsroom is shrinking by half, the rest of the three alabama papers including "the birmingham news." doesn't that devastate reporting? if you're going digital with so many fewer bodies, that's a problem. >> i don't see how cutting half your reporting staff in a town that loves its newspaper, still -- the people still pass around "the times-picayune"" that won pulitzer prize, laying off pulitzer prize-winning journalists, which is what they've done, with no strong web site from what i see doesn't sound like a business plan. it's not digital cversus reporting, you need to produce content. i think this looks precipitous, and i love the nonprofit model. we have one at american university. that doesn't fill the void for having sources the way the watergate story was reported. >> phil bronstein, since you're involved in such efforts, can the nonprofit groups that rely on foundation and groups, can it fill the void, or is it putting a finger in the dike? >> there's a lot between putting a fing

that was music to the words of a group of former newspaper staffers silver lining on the "time's" picayuneext on "now." running. then get some blades spinning, paper sanding, and bits turning. let's motor to the only place that carries our favorite tools... for our favorite people... armed with a budget and a mission... and see what happens when we put those tools to work for us. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get this ryobi 18-volt drill kit for the new lower price of just $69. >>> welcome back. time for what now. we want to update you on the sad story we brought you yesterday about the 201 employees from the "time's" picayune laid off this week after the new orleans paper decided to go digital four days a week. the word around the twitter verse and the blogosphere, specifically michael scherer's treat that i read, is a "chicago tribune" journalist picked up the tab tat a bar where the lai off workers were drinking. a thin silver lining. we're certainly not trying to undermine the gravity of the situation. it is nice to know someone feels the pain and wants t

as we reported last month, the new orleans' "times-picayune" will scale back to three days a week beginningoyees found out just yesterday they were going to stay or if they were going to leave. a series of meetings took place throughout the paper yesterday. some of the city's most experienced writers and photographers are among those now being let go. did not get a lot of sleep yesterday because i was on twitter and facebook and on the phone with folks. know a lot of people that were laid off. the newsroom was devastated. they called it a bloodbath. such a hard, hard time for the paper, city, journalism, and watch papers take their loss. >> you worked there? >> i worked there seven years, for the "times-pic." my professional career started. i asked a few weeks ago, if you know of any -- any jobs out there, online, print, tv, please send them to me through twitter, facebook, i will pass them on to the colleagues in new orleans. they cut 49% of the newsroom staff. half the people got the ax yesterday. >> the only newspaper publication in town correct? >> that is their only major daily. it wil

. >> the new orleans times picayune has announced the firings of nearly one-third of its staff. the newspaper, which is new orleans' largest daily, says 202 employees will lose their jobs effective september 30. as part of a cost-cutting measure, the papal also reduce its schedule to three issues per week. the wife of trayvon martin shooter george zimmerman has been charged with perjury for allegedly lying about her family's finances at her husband's bond hearing. prosecutors say shellie zimmerman secretly moved tens of thousands of dollars center bank account in the days before she and her husband claimed they were broke in seeking a low bond. the dismembered bodies of a least 14 people have been discovered in the mexican state of veracruz. the victim's body parts were found stuffed into bags inside a pickup truck. it was the latest in a series of similar killings inside mexico believed to be tied to the drug war. thousands of people rallied in the russian capital of moscow on tuesday in a major show of protest against president vladimir putin. it was the largest display of opp

the end of an era for the times-picayune, the only daily newspaper in new orleans.ar-old paper is moving online and as a result, 201 employees got pink slips yesterday. patricia? >> i hate it. i hate it. i hate it so much. the only silver lining i think about is they did their very best work during hurricane katrina and they of course were online only when they did that and when they won their pulitzer. it's possible to do great journalism online only but it's just a sad way to see it go, especially to see 200 people lose their jobs. >> see half the work force go. it is a sad day down in new orleans. thanks to richard, nicolle, patricia and hugo. that is all for now. see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern when i'm not coughing. follow us on twitter. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. wait. ♪ happy father's day. ♪ [ thunk ] sweet! [ male announcer ] the solid thunk of the door on the jetta. thanks, mister! [ meow ] [ male announcer ] another example of volkswagen quality. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month. vis

looking at getting news no more people, particularly in wake of the "times-picayune" announcement thatg at the way the news changes and the convention happening in new orleans, a lot of news about the business of news, and about the way people receive news and, you know, those of us who are journalists what we can be doing in the future that will come up. >> i've heard that's a really great conference. i think in philadelphia last year if i'm not mistaken, and folks should check it out in the industry. >> oh, absolutely. >> what should people know? >> that in 19 days, the congress will doesn't act, student loan rates will double. this at a time when the job market is the worst students have seen. this is the next big bubble, when this bursts, we are in trouble. they are angry and they vote. when they set up in 2008, you saw what happened. when they sat down in 2010, you saw what happened. this will be a very important issue this week as congress figures it out. >> 19 days, don't double my rate hashtag, and a lot of mobilization. rebuild american dream. and people should definitely stay

>> i think the huffingtonpost.com is a great global platform but it bothers me that the times picayune is having trouble and the reason it bothers me is not that it's published three or five times a week that if there is local reporters at city hall the don't get the economy to scale on the national international i don't know who is going to pay for that. we still of local television and radio but local television video has traditionally leaned on the local newspaper and i worry about local newspaper. somebody has to pay these people. it's not the printing press that costs money is the time and the talent it has to be a way to do it and i'm not sure what is going to take its place. >> it is incredibly important. one of the great things that aol has the initiative where you have local journalists and the community involved in what is happening. >> arianna in newspaper after newspaper and the city after city, reporters jobs have been cut, editors jobs, circulation is down and is the correction of who was calling to report the supermarket is bad or the mayor is making off with your tax do