I’ll let you read the article, but the gist is that the Seattle Post Intelligencer will be shutting down print operations after tomorrow’s edition, ending a 146 year tradition. In the article, one of the copy editors, a Glenn Ericksen, asks “Who needs copy editors on the Web?” Well, Glenn, quite a few sites do. For publications like the PI to really make it as a professional web publication, they will desperately need copy editors. My believe is that news sites will need to maintain the highest standards in order to justify their readership. And failings will be far more magnified for them (just look at all the snarking about basic grammar errors on any major site). Thus, copy editors, and their kin, will have a place. Well, I hope for such.
As a long time subscriber to the PI, and a one-time paperboy for the publication, this is truly a sad moment. Watching their website evolve over the past few years, and seeing some of the talent they’ve brought on board recently, I believe this “paper” is one of the best positioned to do well in the new media order.
*Update: The PI’s Executive Producer Michelle Nicolosi wrote a good piece describing the PI’s efforts to be relevant in the new media world.