Quick reads

Two today via Romenesko.

A TV reporter quits after his station pushes for a more "edgy" tone to drive up ratings. The change includes dropping the word "defendants" in favor of "thugs" and "lowlifes." The general manager, Stephen Doerr, disputed implications that this was an attempt to sensationalize the reporting: When asked about the use of the words “thugs” and “lowlifes” on air, Doerr said, “We’re a work in progress. We’re trying to be more colloquial, use plainspeak.”

In what could become a sign of things to come for smaller newspapers, The Dispatch in Lexington, North Carolina, announced plans to stop publishing on Mondays. The paper is owned by the New York Times Co. Publisher Ned Cowan, responding to a question from the staff, "acknowledged that job cuts will likely follow from Wednesday's announcement. He said the number will depend on the planning process, just initiated, for the new five-day newspaper and on the needs of the improved Web site."