Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

We stopped at the gas station on our way to breakfast yesterday morning to buy the Sunday Chicago Tribune.Trib certainly suggested that point of view. This is the weekend before the Easter holiday, and I imagined a thick paper, full of spring features and bunny-related ideas. Possibly gardening and clean-up suggestions too. Some of that was included, but the meatier sections — like Perspective, Metro, and even Sports — were noticeably thin. In fact, the largest sections were Automotive and Real Estate, which are really all about selling something rather than informing.

I wonder why newspapers are declining, but I think I already know some of the reasons. They are expensive to produce and, with streaming videos on your computer, are often out-of-date before they hit the evening newsstands. Print advertising is down, readership is down. In general, criticism of media is up and newspapers have not been spared any of the vitriol. Regardless, I plan to stick to reading my news and admiring the editors, columnists, and stringers who bring it to me.