Editorial | When the presses stop

Two days ago, Philadelphia Newspapers LLC - publisher of Philadelphia's two dailies, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News, as well as the printer of The Daily Pennsylvanian - filed for bankruptcy protection preventatively.

The announcement, unfortunately, was not unexpected. The print-newspaper industry started suffering long before the recession. Philadelphia's newspapers were particularly shaky, and they had not been in compliance with their debt covenants for more than six months.

As mostly online-media consumers, it's easy for Penn students to underestimate this development because we rarely pick up the print edition of the Inquirer - and at Penn, relatively few students even look at philly.com.

The role that they serve as watchdogs for Philadelphia, however, extends beyond the print edition. Lately, the Inquirer has called the proposed closing of 11 libraries to the public's attention, investigated abuses of the child-welfare system and tirelessly pushed for the "good-government" movement which, while not finished, helped elected current Mayor Michael Nutter.

As temporary Philadelphiaens and generally informed citizens, we must recognize that checks on power and investigations of poverty are necessary tools in a society that still strives toward betterment. The Inquirer and the Daily News improve Philadelphia, and Penn is both dependent upon and an integral part of Philadelphia's success.

This is not a death knell for the Inquirer, of course. Newspapers are remarkably resilient, and we hope that the paper will pull through this rough patch and reemerge stronger than ever. But it is a wake-up call, for both the Philadelphia Newspaper family and for Penn students who may disregard Philadelphia issues.

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