Are newspapers doomed?

Maybe.  Circulation keeps falling.  Cities like Cincinnati; Portland, Maine; and Madison, Wis., already have lost, or soon might lose, daily papers.

And no one really seems to know what to do about it.  Over the last year, I've had the chance to go to a couple of panel discussions about the future of the news business, and the dominant themes seemed to be:

• People don't want to read anymore!
  
• Online editions can't make enough money to support good coverage!
  
• Don't trust anyone under 30!

That's all debatable, but in any event, I was glad to see Globe columnist Alex Beam's more nuanced piece Monitoring the future of newspapers.  Beam argues that moves by the Christian Science Monitor have positioned it well to thrive, or at least survive, in the new media future.

Speaking of the media, the ACLU of Massachusetts is sponsoring a free discussion on Sept. 16 at 6pm: "When Checks and Balances Fail: The Media and Civil Liberties in the 2008 Election."  It's in honor of Constitution Day, and you can find full details here.