Small issue, I know, but still, this bothers me, let me struggle to say why:
The Morning Call began charging for some obituaries and other personal announcements this week, joining a growing trend in the newspaper industry
Starting Monday, obituaries of 16 lines or less are free, newspaper officials said. For longer obituaries, a charge of $4.50 per line will apply for daily editions and $4.90 per line on Sundays.
I know many newspapers are hurting for revenue, and this is an obvious captive market for them. Maybe it's just me, but just about everyone deserves a published obituary at the end of their human toil.
One problem I have with this is that can cause one last diminishment of the poor. Sixteen lines for a free obituary isn't much, and many of those who may not want to afford more are going to be poor. That doesn't mean those folks are any less deserving of a public recognition of their life. They were part of a past that built and toiled in the communities we live in today.
Newspapers are to make money, but they are also there to inform and support the community. This seems a crass use of that community to me.
But the main reason I have a problem with this is that obituaries are news. They are not ads. They are not selling, or trading, or buying. They are reporting, perhaps the obscure news of the day that may only be important to 20 people in that community - but it's the most important news to those 20. Obituaries actually sell newspapers.
But perhaps not enough. Anyone here work for a newspaper, and understand the cost/benefit ratio for obituaries?