Internet killed the newspaper star

I don't have too much to say about Judge Richard Posner or Connie Schultz or their ideas about the newspaper industry. Their arguments (to me, anyway) are strange, as they believe the only practical way to revive newspapers is to do away with online linking to news stories.

I understand where they're coming from: bloggers and websites find stories they like, quote them, link them, and share their thoughts. I'm doing that right now. Sure, maybe that takes some traffic away from the original source, but that's the nature of debate. Erik Schonfeld of The Washington Post sums it up nicely:

Posner never squares his position with freedom of speech or fair use rights. He doesn't even mention them. Yet those are precisely the rights which allow me to paraphrase his argument without his permission so that I can disagree with it. - How To Save The Newspapers, Vol. XII: Outlaw Linking

So, according to some, the only way to save the newspaper industry is to reform copyright law, modify freedom of speech, and tweak fair use.

Personally, I'd rather let the newspaper industry fail.