“Flawed but vital”

The Record’s Web site, www.recordnet.com, became a paid subscription site last week. We’ve received quite a few letters to the editor about the change. Here is one from a reader who has been an at-times vocal and always thoughtful critic of The Record in the past:

From Bruce Guidici, Valley Springs:

While I have complained often and loudly about the quality and quantity of coverage given by the Record to various issues over the past 20 years, I cannot imagine Stockton being without a daily newspaper.
This will be the result, if enough people don’t come to the support of their local paper in a time of economic hardship. To those who complain that $3 a month extra to access the on-line paper is too much, I ask: what is the price of a competitive free press?
If we refuse to pay nominal sums to keep our local press alive, the news we receive will devolve into what we now see: sensational entertainment supplanting local news we can act upon. What other daily paper would cover Stockton Unified’s troubles, the Stockton general plan or what happens at Stockton City Council meetings? Newspapers serve a vital function in our democracy.
For all its flaws, the Record is important to this community, for its local news and ability to broadcast information not necessarily flattering to the rich and powerful. The dollar cost of the Record may increase in the future: operating expenses don’t go down, just because advertising income falls.
If we want quality to improve, we subscribers have to make up the difference. And while the Internet gives the false impression that information is free, it is not: the true cost is shown in the bias of the provider and how much they are willing to invest in order to mislead the public. Let’s keep daily local coverage alive.