* So a Fox Business anchor, the blonde bombshellish Trish Regan, is out following a coronavirus riff in which she dismissed concerns as a “scam” fueled by enemies of Donald Trump. No, it’s not the same as giving the boot to Sean Hannity, but it means there is still a detectable pulse of professionalism and ethics, even as Roger Ailes twitches in his grave.
* Normally during a crisis, the media is the critical go-to source for necessary information and perspective. That scenario changes during a pandemic when the media is also blindsided–from free-falling advertising revenue to vulnerable frontline reporters. Exhibit A: the Tampa Bay Times, which has already downsized because of technology and a societal culture that increasingly undervalues reading off line. Now the Times, beginning next week, will begin printing and delivering the paper twice (Wednesday and Sunday) a week. Paul Tash, chairman and CEO of the Times explained that the paper “simply cannot afford to produce the ink-and-paper version every day.” But, yes, the Times’ daily electronic edition will not be affected.