And The Top Media Story of 2008 is...

No, you didn't miss the first nine installments of this series. I'm not one for Top 10 lists unless they're being read by Mr. Late Night. But in this the first year of This Media Moment, I'd be remiss if I didn't end 2008 with at least one retrospective post.

So what'll it be? We lost a dogged reporter/interviewer in Tim Russert. We saw Obama/Clinton press coverage mimicked on (and change because of?) SNL, the show that also brought us Tina Fey's dead-on impression of Sarah Palin.

But there's really no story in '08 that could overshadow the crisis facing traditional print media. It's been a dismal year of job cuts, product shrinking and investor unease. Newspaper business sections have become media obituaries, and 2009 likely promises much of the same.

There's much to say about the dreadful outlook for some longstanding print publications, but what can I add that hasn't been said already? My wish for the New Year is that one -- just one -- struggling newspaper or magazine tries to bolster its staff, increase its reporting reach and see what happens in a competitive marketplace when the tough-times-mean-downsizing orthodoxy faces off against the adversity-means-put-out-a-better-product model. Pipe dream? Probably. But someone's gotta be ready to take a stand.

Many in the media alredy have. This was a banner year for start-up publications, many of which are online, nonprofit and emphasizing public interest journalism. Thorough work continues to attract readers -- see Nate Silver's political site that was a must-read throughout the summer and fall.

Editors are finding ways to interact more effectively with their audience, and individual readers are opening their pocketbooks to support good journalism. There's plenty of reason for optimism in 2009 because of great media minds who are adapting and innovating.

I raise my glass to them.