Does Phil Bronstein (pictured) care that Web sites are ripping off his paper? He tells SFist, a site that uses Chron material, it’s “piracy. You should pay us.” But he adds, “[I]t’s more like a Johnny Depp kind of piracy — having your pocket picked by a charming degenerate. Besides, we’re not in a pay-for-use web world. If we were, newspapers would be making money.”

In a Q&A with SFist Bronstein also says:

“We’re having a tough time these days, as are many big dailies; a lot of good people’s lives are being affected. But the Chronicle will continue to be packed with talented journalists who will keep providing what Rita called ‘an essential public service.’”

Bronstein admits that the future of media is “all speculation” and he’s willing to listen to ideas:

“As a journalist, if you don’t, you might be suffering from that ‘higher calling disease,’ a professional hazard that I’d illustrate with what might be an apocryphal story: the reporter who can’t take a call or answer an email from a reader because they’re too busy ‘doing journalism.'”