Daily News delenda est

Don't believe I'm taken in by stories I have heard 
I just read the Daily News and swear by every word 

-- "Barrytown" by Steely Dan, circa 1974

If you want to read the news about the Daily News, you need to go elsewhere:

The New York tabloid Daily News cut half of its newsroom staff Monday including Jim Rich, the paper's editor in chief.

The paper was sold to Chicago-based publisher Tronc last year for $1, with the owner of the Chicago Tribune assuming liabilities and debt.

The eternal rival of the Daily News, the New York Post, was even saddened about this result:

The numbers are brutal: a newsroom staff slashed in half; no staff photographers at a place that long billed itself as “New York’s Picture Newspaper.” A sports department down from 34 people to just nine — how can a New York tabloid survive with that?

Yes, the News has been The Post’s competitor for decades, and the rivalry’s often turned bitter. But rivalry has its joys, as well: Even getting beaten to a story is an inspiration to do better next time.

Any time an enterprise with the history of the Daily News starts to circle the bowl, you can assume multiple factors are involved. The newspaper business is not particularly healthy right now and there's no easy way to turn it around. I do think the Daily News made things worse by being strident and nasty. A few recent covers tell the tale:

Wrong on the facts and the motivation, but hey, whatever

Seriously?

There are dozens of others that equally nasty. Furious leftism has only so much appeal, and most lefties can get their hate on for free these days. I should be sad about this development, but they chose their path.