Lawyer Sues Newspaper for Cutting Staff, Devaluing His Subscription

A North Carolina lawyer has sued the News & Observer for cutting staff and news pages after he renewed his subscription to the Raleigh newspaper.

Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer who is a former reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, claims the cuts breached his contract with the newspaper and amounted to fraud, the News & Observer reports.

He decided to file suit rather than cancel his subscription to make a point. "I hate to see what companies that run newspapers are doing to the product," he told a News & Observer reporter.

John Drescher, executive editor of the News & Observer, said he is glad Hempstead is a loyal reader. "We've had some really good papers recently, and they're worth more than the 36 cents a day that Mr. Hempstead is paying us," Drescher said. "In fact, he owes me money."