The L.A. Times announced the other day that they'll begin selling ads on the front page to make up for a huge revenue downturn.

There are plenty of people -- me included -- who think it's pretty cheesy to sell ads on your front page. It lets your readers know that you value selling ads more than you do news. And news, after all, is why they're buying the paper.

But if that's the kind of paper the Times wants to run, fine by me.

Here's the worrisome part. For years the Times has toed the line on ads, presumably agreeing with the party line that the front page of a serious newspaper is never for sale.

Now that things look a little dicey and rent's due in just a few days, the Times is willing to sell parts of itself that previously weren't for sale.

This logic has launched thousands of prostitution careers.