San Francisco ... without the Chronicle?

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: February 25, 2009

It’s a very real possibility.

It’s looking as though, barring a financial miracle or deliverance from a journalistic messiah, the iconic—but extraordinarily unprofitable—San Francisco Chronicle may be the first major daily metro newspaper to die.

From the Associated Press:

The owner of the San Francisco Chronicle will sell or close the daily newspaper if it can’t dramatically lower expenses within the next few months.

The Hearst Corp., which owns northern California’s largest daily newspaper, didn’t specify a savings target in Tuesday’s grim announcement. But the New York-based company said the cost cutting will require significant layoffs.

What will San Francisco look like without the Chronicle?

The need for good journalism—the kind that serves the public interest and honors the public trust—will never disappear, even if print newspapers do.