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The old Daily Planet reporters were respected for the unbiased and straightforward stories they did about Berkeley, particularly about local government. That’s what Berkeley readers simply can’t get from the regional or national press. That’s what we most want to keep and strengthen, which is why we’ve re-hired reporter David Scharfenberg and have made offers to other previous staffers. The local hard news will continue to be the backbone of the Planet. 

As we work toward the goal of making the good even better, we’ve put David on salary while the rest of us work on the technical means of producing the paper. He’s been spending a good deal of time unraveling the city budget and studying the effect of the economic crisis on the schools and the county. We’re searching for an experienced managing editor who understands the importance of local reporting to Berkeley’s sophisticated readers. 

If you have any thoughts on improving our local news coverage, write to bomalley@berkeleydailyplanet.com.