Actually, what I am proposing is a day without newsrooms, but newspapers are the physical manifestation of the activity that goes on in newsrooms.
What we bloggers fail to appreciate is the reporting that is not only the backbone of newspapers, but of almost every other kind of news publication, including blogs. Yes, there are conventional news-gathering teams that include Reuters, the AP, correspondants for the BBC, American networks, and other sources of on-the-ground information that is televised and made available online.
But almost all local TV and radio news reports, much if not most blogging, and other electronic forms of news are based on initial reporting by newspaper reporters.
If those individuals have no cash-producing platform to report for, some (maybe most) will turn to blogging, but that is not going to pay the bills and guarantee health coverage (I can't wait for healthcare reform, but can't count on it just yet).
So newsrooms in cities around the United States have to be appreciated and supported. This is of particular importance when it comes to local news.
I know that it's easy to bash newspaper reporting as published. It can reflect all sorts of biases, most of which are more logistical than they are ideological.
And my guess is that no number of community cable coverage, video captures on cell phones, and live-blogging can replace basic reporting.
Which is why I think that every newspaper (print and online) in the United States should participate in a Day Without Newspapers.
This I am throwing out there, into the blogosphere. What does anyone think?