“My request is that Stanford take on the problem of how to preserve public and investigative journalism with the same seriousness academia addressed global warming, because it is that desperate,” writes Wes Hughes, a former LA Times editor, in a letter to university president John Hennessy. “Put some of Stanford’s best minds to work on it, create a think tank, talk to everybody but be wary when you talk to publishers and top editors because they are at a loss as to what to do and have succumbed to herd panic.” He copied the letter to Sam Zell, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Dean Singleton, Associated Press, Poynter Institute and the Pugh Trust. Here’s the entire letter courtesy of LA Observed.