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Whither the Ombudsman?

September 25, 2008

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Editor and Publisher reports this month that the ranks of ombudsmen are shrinking at newspapers across the country.

Since early 2008, a string of major news papers have seen their ombudsmen leave, either through layoffs, buyouts, or simple retirement. In many cases, cash-strapped editors have chosen to let those positions remain empty — or be eliminated. Among those that have lost their ombuds since January: The Sacramento Bee, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, The Sun of Baltimore, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram, the Orlando Sentinel, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant, and The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post.

Sad news.

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Katia Bachko is on staff at The New Yorker.