The news about journalism just gets more and more distressing.

Now this: The final edition of the Rocky Mountain News, a 150-year-old (!) daily newspaper, will be published this Friday.

Scripps, the owner of the paper, Colorado’s oldest, wasn’t able to find a buyer.

More than 200 newsroom staffers will be let go, although they will remain on the payroll through April 28.

For all the details, check out the story in the Denver Post – still standing, so far. Here’s the Wall Street Journal story, and here’s the Rocky Mountain News’ own piece.

The two papers had established a joint operating agreement in 2001, as a last-ditch effort to cut costs and keep both alive.

As pointed out in the Post story, penned by Steve Raabe, only about 10 U.S. cities — including New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle — are still home to more than one major daily newspaper cities.

That list, as of today, still includes the Tampa Bay area, home to the St. Petersburg Times, for which I’ve freelanced since 1999, and the Tampa Tribune, where I was the pop music critic for 8 years ending in 1996.

Here’s wishing and hoping that the News’ writers and editors — and those at endangered papers in San Francisco, Seattle and Tucson — will find gainful employment, sooner rather than later.