Web site aims to stop Examiner delivery

Fed up residents in the Baltimore area have created a Web site, stopexaminer.spaces.live.com, in an attempt to stop the Examiner from being delivered to their homes. We can't tell who is behind the Web site but we were tipped off by a frustrated suburban Baltimore resident who saw an article we posted on the free paper's delivery problems and asked us for more information. Homeowners who are getting the Examiner thrown on their driveways against their wishes are also organizing a boycott of Examiner advertisers.

Here are some of the stories we have run previously on the Examiner's circulation complaints:

• Ex-Examiner circulation employee speaks out

• Judge asked to stop Examiner distribution

• Examiner goes on damage control mode

COMMENTARY: Our position on this is that while we wish the Examiner and other free dailies success, this festering problem will not only damage the Examiner but the entire industry. The Examiner needs to re-examine (pun intended) its business model and determine whether the hostility it is creating is worth it. We would hate to see the communities surrounding Baltimore enact laws prohibiting this type of distribution. Such laws could spread across the country, affecting other free papers, including those that respect the rights of homeowners.