Leonard returns from Mount Baldy.  He's been there for some time.  It was hard, but it was necessary.  Whilst there, he had a vision.  An idea.  Something to drive him.  He walked down from Mount Baldy, and made his went to Downtown, LA.  It was bustling.  He saw some old faces.  Some new ones, too.  He knew what he had to do.  He began to speak.

"I'm Leonard.  I was a journalist, then a novelist, then a singer-songwriter, then a monk, and now a man with a mission; a vision.  I feel that historically, these streets have been served by a series of newspapers, some better than others, but they all had one thing in common: they were one-man-bands.  Sole traders.  There were no teams of journalists.  

So what I want to do is create a new newspaper.  Title to be confirmed.  But I want to employ journalists.  I want them to bring me the stories - they'll be paid - and I want the newspaper to inspire, to inform, to entertain, and to, perhaps, provoke.

So I need to know a few things:

Are you a journalist?  Or even editor of your own paper?  Contact me.  Let's work together.

What would you like to see from a newspaper?

Any examples of successful newspapers in the past?

Contact me privately, or have your say here.  

I should say, that I have substantial funding available for the correct people. 

Hey, are you trying to pull some sort of fast one over here, pal? There have been plenty of papersmiths (name pending) that have come to these streets and who have employed the help of many different people. Journalism in the mafia might not sound like it is the most beneficial thing for us skulking in the shadows, but there's something to be said about putting everything out there on the line and covering the news that is only being spoken about in secret coffee shops and tucked away whispered amongst the elite while the rest of us fight for scraps of information- and I believe that's something that newspapers have done here from time immemorial. 

My question, I guess, is what puts yours above the rest? You come out here like you're breaking new ground. So what sort of things could we expect to see?

There was a pause, mostly because he started choking on his own spit from talking too fast. He was typically all about the action, so this many words was difficult to get down all at once, but luckily he was able to swallow it down and keep the words flowing from his rather large and impressive mouth.

I guess you could say that I am flipping the script for a few moments. Grifting the grifter, so to speak and seeing if you've got the stuff-- why do you believe we not only need your paper, but that it will do it differently than each one that has come before it? I don't mean to be such a provocateur, but I think that the people need answers and they need them NOW.

The Greek pulled a tiny cigarette from his pocket. In fact, it is so tiny that you can barely tell why his fingers are now pushed up against his pursed lips until the smallest puff of pathetic smoke comes out from his mouth as if he were the saddest magician of all time, and that his trick was to look like his mouth was on fire. Then without much explanation as to what this was about, he turns his sights back on to the man who was trying to buy journalists.

So? I'm waiting to be amazed over here.

Catherine had been informed of the speech and the new gentlemen's idea long before she had made her way to where he was. Staying in the back of the gatherine, her arms crossed over her chest and her face defiant, she stayed silent her foot tapping angrily and getting faster and faster with every word. Eventually she could hold it in no longer, her confusion, anger, gas.

Catherine pushed to the front of the crowd, "Sorry GreekFreak," she said softly before standing before Leonard. "And what the fuck do you think you're trying to do, there already is a paper." Catherine said, her voice getting louder with each word. 

There has been anlong and proud tradition around these parts of Newspapers, snoozepapers, tabloids, broadsheets and screamsheets. Some have been incredably sucessful, some no so much. What sets the sucessful ones apart is an ability to actually report the news and not just recycle information that people already know. I've been known to read over old editions of various journals from time to time, and the truely entertaining reads have all interpreted the news and not just summarised tje contents of the streets. I wish you all well in your endeavours.

It depends how its done, and you don't always have to satirise and parody people to have a good publication. Sure that is the hall mark of some of our most popular publications, such as the Gwarble Barble, but you won't be afforded protection just because you claim to publish the news. Most of those who did satirise the powers that be did so from a position of power themselves, or were establised personalities in this world. There is a fine line to walk between being a cunt and being a complete cunt.

I'll not lie though, those who successfully walk that path do tend to be more successful. Compare the writting styles of two recent papers:

The Seven Cities Gazette

The Rusty Star Examiner

I did want to show you an edition of the Star Examiner, but alas no copies seem to have survived.

We have lost two writers in this action already.  

Is there a case to protect our writers?  

Of course we need this, always a real pleasure to read it so lets gon on, not much I read nowadays but this newspaper is always fun to follow so get it going pleas.

"Tutte gladely walks out in teh streets again after having a good opportunity to make sure a newspapaer again could flourish to all"