Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006 | While the North County Times does not do much investigative reporting, the paper gives their letter writers far more space, especially considering the smaller readership compared to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Like voiceofsandiego.org, the Times understands that readers want to vent their opinions, and indeed do read the letters section of the paper (or website).
In addition, one does not need to pay a reporter to fill the space! Free “commentators” provide the letters gratis, with only a mid-level editor needed to run the operation.
This expanded letters section is a strategy the U-T could indeed adopt from the successful Times model, and at little cost.