A tale of three newspapers

Three Philadelphia newspapers are making news this week.

The Philadelphia Inquirer published a 62-page special section on Sunday marking its 180th anniversary of publication. Celebrating 180 years is a bit unconventional. Anniversaries are usually marked in 25-year increments. I have the feeling the owners of the Inquirer are not too certain the newspaper will be around to mark its 185th or 200th anniversaries, hence the 180th.

The Philadelphia Tribune is also celebrating this week. The Tribune marks 125 years as the oldest continuously published African American newspaper in the country. The newspaper kicked off its anniversary celebration with a VIP gathering, covered by the Inquirer. Congratulations to everyone involved with the Tribune.

On a sad note, The Philadelphia Bulletin, a Philadelphia daily billed as a conservative alternative to the city's left-leaning dailies, abruptly ceased publication on Monday. The newspaper was founded in 2004 and built a loyal following in its five-year existence. All 25 employees were laid off Monday, according The Associated Press, which quoted Publisher Thomas Rice as saying "The Bulletin temporarily suspended publication," which may hold out hope that the newspaper will return someday.