Alva Review-Courier -

U.S. newspapers are battered and broken, and this week's layoffs at the New York Daily News serve as the latest blow. But while local newsgathering has taken a hit, some observers think it's poised for a digital comeback.

Media company Tronc Inc. cut half of the Daily News' newsroom staff Monday, including the paper's editor in chief. The remaining staff, the company said, will focus on breaking news involving "crime, civil justice and public responsibility."

The Pulitzer Prize-winning tabloid has been a fixture in New York for the last century. Jere Hester, news director at the City Universit...