Newspapers around the country are closing their doors, stopping paper printing, in bankruptcy or some combination of these in the face of online competition and dwindling advertising revenue due to the economic downturn. This problem has effected many smaller local papers as well as major urban papers including The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (the Boston Globe of the Northwest), Rocky Mountain News, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

San Francisco residents have been particularly outspoken about the predicted shuttering of the city’s only major newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. Some writers for the Huffington Post have started a wiki called the San Francisco Post Chronicle to crowdsource ideas for reinventing the news organization for the digital age.

The site has very quickly become an excellent resource for anyone looking to start a 21st Century newspaper in one of the major US cities now or soon to be without one. Matter of fact topics are discussed by the would-be writers and consumers of such a paper including coverage plans and business and distribution models. Check it out if you’re interested in what newspapers might look like 10 years from now, or better yet, join the conversation and contribute your own ideas.