We get asked about this section a lot, so here’s what it is and isn’t.
R.I.P. has been a fixture on this blog since we launched it in March, 2007. It was originally a running list of newspapers that have gone out of business. However, as publishers began to experiment with reduced frequency and Web-only options, we added the W.I.P. (Works In Progress) column to include them. If you’re interested, you can read about the thought process here.
These lists are limited to daily newspapers only. It would be impossible to list all the weeklies that have shut down, since many of those closures aren’t even announced. We also don’t include other media, such as magazines, radio or television. Magazine Death Pool does an outstanding job of tracking its industry. There’s also a good Twitter stream called The Media is Dying, although it could disappear at any time. Finally, Paper Cuts and News Cycle track newspaper layoffs.
Please point out any errors or omissions. We’re grateful for the feedback.
