What ever happened to the art and craft of the newspaper?

As the final season of The Wire rips into a fictional version of the Baltimore Sun, series creator David Simon has penned a scathing editorial asking: Does the News Matter to Anyone Anymore?

Anyone who has followed Simon’s work over the years is no doubt aware of his bitterness regarding the newspaper business. What’s interesting to me about this piece is that it reminds me of an idea — the idea that newspapers could serve as vehicles for storytelling. Well-researched, well-written, nonfiction storytelling.

It’s been so long since I read anything like that in a newspaper that I had forgotten it was possible. And, in fact, Simon might be right: maybe it isn’t possible anymore.

Things are moving fast.