CopyCamp

First, people in the video:

• Rex Pechler
• David Cohn
• Rob Knight

Quick recap of Saturday. CopyCamp was awesome. No other word for it. Anytime a newspaper opens its doors and lets its readers say what could be done better, that’s a good thing, and the Mercury News reporters and editors who came can’t be thanked enough. I don’t know if I could have after ending the week the way they did.

Much as the discussion was haunted by the latest round of job cuts, there was, I think, still a feeling of optimism, if not from within the newspaper, then at least from outside, and that may be worth more in the long run.

My impression is that people need this newspaper, that readers want it to be better and believe it can be. Of the two dozen or so who came (admittedly, a limited sample in a circulation area of several million) most still felt some sense of ownership over the paper, or at least a longing for it.

“People are still passionate and do still care,” Chris O’Brien said at day’s end.

More tomorrow, when I’m more awake. (I spent the rest of the day with my grandparents, hence the late and weary posting.) Stay tuned.