The idea that multiple and diverse voices are
essential to a democratic system has held sway with
theorists and jurists for centuries. Newspaper
publishers have by and large fallen into agreement
but have resisted any governmental attempts to ensure
that many newspapers remain relevant in the
marketplace. It was after one such objection in the
early 1960s that the downward spiral of newspapers
began to grow more pronounced.
The rise of television news, growing economic
pressures, the migration of people from the cities to
the suburbs and the changing reading habits of
Americans weakened...