Is this the future of news?

News junkies around the Bay Area have been worried about the future of the leading newspapers such as the S.F. Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News as their circulation dwindles. Now comes word from the N.Y. Times that a brand new nonprofit news source for the Bay Area will appear within months. The new, as yet nameless, source will have a website staffed by professional journalists and has the backing of local investors as well as the Berkeley School of Journalism. Readers who love the feel and smell of a newspaper may worry that this development will hasten the end of print journalism, but there's no question that the media world is changing. With all that is going on in the region, the country and the world, we need all the reliable news we can get. Civic-minded citizens will be watching to see whether this new option meets at least some of our needs.

SFGate makeover, and other news.

Am I the last to notice SFGate's makeover? More information, better organized. Graphics are crisp and plentiful. The Home page certainly feeds the intellect with grocery store check-out quality material (chicks ground alive...video!), but the News section makes it easy to access local, national, and world updates. There is work to be done in this section, too, for sure. I mean, who would think Honolulu banning body odor on buses merits center placement on the National page, but it is the silly summer season, news-wise, for a few more days. The International selections were varied, compelling, and serious. The Chron's web and editorial teams should feel pleased with themselves. Check it out. Send kudos for design, with a reminder we eagerly await consistently worthy content.

Speaking of news - this time, the printed page - how about the Examiner? It's handed to me by a professional, cheerful Examiner person every morning on my way to work. The headliner story is nearly always something local, and serious, too. Sure, some of the national and international content is a few days old but haven't you noticed that in nearly every major US daily you've read during the past year (apart from the NYTimes and the Washington Post, where the news reporting seems to originate)? Thanks to the Examiner, I've developed a sense of what the Mayor does every day, seen the Goldsworthy Spire in the Presidio (amazing), checked out a couple of local theatre productions, and kept out of the way of a festival or two. There's the crossword and a sudoku. Just enough gossip to hold your own with the chatter that adds charm and humor to casual interaction of our lives. Check it out and send kudos - for the consistently worthy content.

One more thing: are you as curious as I am how both last week's NYT Magazine and the New Yorker had features about the twin tennis doubles players? With virtually the same opening photo?