Memo to Patch editors: If you’re going to work that hard, why not start your own hyperlocal site?

Howard Owens
Howard Owens writes that the duties described by a Patch editor, while vast, are pretty standard for anyone running an independent news site. “But here’s the thing about the work load for Patch editors: They’re not owners. They are expected to do all of the things they would have to do if they owned their own web sites, but merely in service of building wealth for AOL shareholders. … Patch editors should know that what they’re being asked to do on salary they could do for themselves far more successfully and with some chance of building a valuable business for themselves and their families.” Owens has owned and operated The Batavian, a local news site in upstate New York near Buffalo, since 2009.