Even in major metro areas, that term is being applied more loosely every year. Publishing and broadcast companies encourage the experienced staff to take retirement bonuses or conduct layoffs. The replacements are young (probably paid much less) and tend to be…sloppy. Unfortunately, editors seem to be expendable, too. Now, half-written “articles,” full of slang and typos are very hard to avoid - in print as well as online.
If I mention the newspaper to my elderly relatives, a few of them threaten to use a highlighter to mark up all the mistakes and send it back!
