LAT national edition lives on

It's down to 24 pages in black and white, on odd-sized 11-by-19 inch paper, the New York Times says. There are no paid ads, and "national" really means 1,500 mostly free copies in Washington and a few hundred in New York. That it survives at all means the argument that the Times needs a paper presence in D.C. in order to have influence and get reporters' calls returned carried the day inside Tribune. Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus:

"It's not a relevant part of our circulation," said Mr. McManus, who was a principal advocate for maintaining the national edition. "It is a matter of visibility that we think helps us both journalistically and commercially."

He said keeping a print presence helps reporters do their jobs and brings their work to the attention of other news outlets. Being quoted by other media, he said, in turn keeps the brand before the public and could ultimately help with "good old-fashioned paid circulation."

The Times had announced in an earlier wave of cost-cutting that the national edition would go digital only. (Via Romenesko)

Also: Last weekend's Tim Rutten column panning Hunter S. Thompson's journalistic legacy sparked some vocal dissent from Marc Cooper, Matt Welch and Rip Rense.