I think newspapers are in a different predicament than even 5 years ago. They have to take calculated risks if it's worth it to piss off a good portion of their subscriber base - especially with something so meaningless as sports.
Whether they piss off subscribers or not - the Clarion Ledger would be must-read by everyone in the state if they would actually report and break news on the investigation. Rosebowl calls this the biggest sports story in the state of Mississippi and he is right.
Whether they were praising the CL for it's investigative chops or criticizing it for being a hack organization hell bent on taking down Ole Miss, everyone would be reading. Business would be booming. Instead they are too hell bent on being a mouthpiece of the university of Mississippi, and alienating a large portion of the state. If it wasn't obvious before last week's stories on the players who never received benefits, or the toxic nature of the rivalry, it sure is now.