Who says newspapers are irrelevant?
We all know the cliche. We've seen it or seen photos of it: A bum (surely not the politically correct term, probably domicile-challenged is preferred) sleeping on a park bench under a blanket of day-old newspapers.
Well, those kindly and innovative newspaper firms in Salt Lake City — The Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News — have launched a new publication aimed at the homeless. The paper is to be sold on the streets by the homeless who will keep 50 cents of the $1 cover price.
The first issue of the monthly Salt Lake Street News has articles about homeless people across the country. It has a few ads and is created by the staff at the Salt Lake City Mission, which serves the homeless.
With newspaper circulation suffering and some papers closing down, it is good to see the entrepreneurial spirit going after the one growing demographic in this recession.
The main problem is that the paper is not a broadsheet, but an under-sized tabloid. It may cover the news, but it is hardly enough for much protection on a cold winter night in Salt Lake City.
Terrance LeCompte, who is homeless, sells new newspaper. (Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune)
