But I seriously doubt that. Multiply Weaver's tale by a few thousand young people and the long-term consequences start to look serious for newspapers, USC's Pryor believes. They think they have to compete on salaries to be competitive. This isn't just a salary issue, though. Indeed, for newspaper managers, raising salaries alone probably won't cut it.
Online enterprises have some distinct attractions, especially to the young.
The bosses tend to be young themselves, the work less tradition-bound. They haven't had that chance since TV came along a generation ago. We have the opportunity to define how an entire new medium will look. That, and to make a lot of money, too. Few newspapers, if any, offer stock options to attract journalists.