Newspapers are in dire straits these days. Just yesterday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer announced that they’re publishing only online. And earlier this month, the Rocky Mountain News shut its doors.

It’s pretty distressing, especially to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who’s asking the Justice Department to help save her local paper, The San Francisco Chronicle.

In a letter sent to the department yesterday, Pelosi asked Eric Holder to adjust antitrust laws to help the industry consolidate: "We must ensure that our policies enable our news organizations to survive and to engage in the news gathering and analysis that the American people expect." She continued:

I am confident that the Antitrust Division, in assessing any concerns that any proposed mergers or other arrangements in the San Francisco area might reduce competition, will take into appropriate account, as relevant, not only the number of daily and weekly newspapers in the Bay Area, but also the other sources of news and advertising outlets available in the electronic and digital age, so that the conclusions reached reflect current market realities.

The Justice Department said they’ll consider the matter in good time. Unfortunately for papers, time’s running out.