I am so pleased to have you back!
Not sure what to think about the future of newspapers. I like the opinion and editorial functions, and am not sure that blogs are ever going to be an adequate substitute. They are a kind of lifestyle, too. But my local paper is edited from somewhere else and it is such a disappointment, with the same stories repeated on different days, news from the big smoke that is not that interesting to my locality, and often poorly written local material.
I think media should support the development of democratic values and practice, but the influence of capital has reached a point where facilitation of democracy is no longer even in the frame.
Good on you for promoting the debate, and I suppose I should also acknowledge NZonAir. I just wish I could be confident that the NZoA model will work over time.