1 of 4 news start-ups flamed out

In 2009, David Boraks wrote an inspiring guest post here about the launch of his hyper-local news site in Davidson County, NC. Last week, he reluctantly shut it down, saying, “Alas, we haven’t turned it into a sustainable business.”

He is far from alone. One of every four news startups has failed, according to a survey I conducted of the 141 ventures listed in an online directory published by