I don't know how measures like this is supposed to improve a news product.

Cox Newspapers announced plans to shut its Washington, D.C., office in April.

The Washington bureau was established in 1974 _ the same year that Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace. The bureau has provided national and international news to 17 Cox newspapers around the country. The closure will affect about two dozen newspaper staff members, most of whom will be offered severance packages.

Washington bureau chief Andy Alexander said the moves come after Cox announced earlier this year that it would seek to sell its newspapers in Texas, North Carolina and Colorado.

He said selling those papers created less need for the Washington office, which supplements work done by regional reporters for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Dayton Daily News.

Last August the Post slashed its newsroom staff. Either by offering staffers buyouts or firing people. Among those who opted for the buyout, was Craig Dolch, who I think is the best golf writer in the country.

The changes in the Post have been hard not to notice. Like half page advertisements on the front of local section, smaller ads on page one, less local content on the editorial page, sports columnists also being assigned to write straight sports news, I could go on. I'm not even mentioning the website which focuses on gloss rather than news. Local gossip, mugshots, and pictures of scantily clad cheerleaders. The three local papers down here, the Post, Sun-Sentinel, and Miami Herald have even started to share news.

Less people are subscribing to newspapers, and more people are getting their news on the net. Cox, and other media organizations, rather than seeing the internet as their future have instead watered down the quality of the product their selling. Lifetime newspaper readers like myself are just being given less of a reason to get a paper delivered to the driveway every morning. I'm online all day, the $50 I pay for 13 weeks of newspapers is looking like a waste of money to me.