A tipster told me last week that word would be coming soon about staff reductions at the Jonesboro Sun as the Paxton chain-owned newspaper consolidated page design and production jobs in Kentucky. News of that popped up further recently on sportsjournalists.com

It’s only the tip of a national iceberg. Newspapers haven’t yet reversed the steady decline in print advertising dollars. Web sales — either in paywalls for readers or advertising — haven’t nearly covered the loss. So staffs are dwindling; page and ad production is being consolidated in regional “hubs”; copy editors are disappearing, and special project reporting teams are becoming a thing of the past at some of the country’s most prestigious papers.

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On that cheery note …. I need to think about something to write to note the Arkansas Times’ 20th anniversary as a weekly newspaper-turned-multiplatform medium. Bottom line: We’re still here.

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