If you’ll indulge me, a big Inkstain hug for hug for Bob Brewin:

I’m a reluctant blogger and know that good reporting will always beat any blog, as this Albuquerque Journal story illustrates. The Journal is a privately owned, independent newspaper (a rare item in these times) and is struggling to survive in an environment where all news is supposedly “free,” but someone has to pay the bills.

Earlier this month the Journal laid off seven newsroom staffers because it — like the rest of us in the news business — try to figure out how to make a buck in a world of seemingly “free” news.

Kudos to Fleck and Journal publisher Thompson Lang for continuing to do a great job in tough times.