News watchdogs invaluable

A reader of 35 years asks why he should continue to pay for the S-R as it continues to shrink (Letters, March 29). True, losing Karen Dorn Steele, Bill Morlin and Dan Webster takes the heart out of the newspaper’s news purpose, and keeping Jim Kershner, Doug Clark and Paul Turner is more “entertainment” (sometimes), but I can give subscribers two reasons to keep reading this paper: Otto Zehm and Jay Olsen.

A Google search for articles about these two incidents provided nothing except for what the S-R reported. These two tragic incidents never made national news. “Chief” Anne Kirkpatrick’s distasteful comments never made national news, either.

Without the S-R, we would never have learned just how dysfunctional the Spokane city police department is.

At the same time, the S-R has a responsibility to continue reporting rather than commenting. Doug Clark and Gary Crooks are entertaining, but they are not reporters. I’d really like to know what the city of Spokane is going to do about the police department and I have to depend on the S-R to tell me. S-R, please don’t cut out any more news reporters.

Lew Schrawyer

Spokane