A new novel, “Don’t Stop the Presses,” is a dark comedy based on a dark subject — the bleeding of journalism jobs.

Nearly 10,000 journalists have been laid off over the past three years. Thousands more have lost their jobs going back farther, when the industry began to crater. It’s a job loss like few others in scope and emotional trauma. And it’s taken a toll on our democracy, given the importance of a free and viable press.  

Now the venerable Washington Post — which broke the Watergate scandal — has suffered massive layoffs. One of the richest men in the world, Jeff Bezos, the owner of the paper and the Amazon empire, won’t stop the bleeding. Indeed, he’s a party to it.

In a new novel, “Don’t Stop the Presses,” San Diego author Mike Stetz puts a new spin on this tragic job hemorrhaging. His protagonist, Ben Roberts, doesn’t take his lay off sitting down. He fights back.

Canned from the fictional San Diego Sun, Roberts hatches a plan to take over the newsroom, hold editors hostage and produce his very own newspaper — one that will feature a story his editors wanted killed. He could not let that happen. Because of the stakes. Because he’s a newspaper person.

A local city councilwoman is being bribed to support a $4 billion pro football stadium. For some reason, the editors don’t want the story to see the light of day. And it may not, given that cops have swarmed outside the building, looking to take Roberts out. It might be his obituary that highlights the Sunday’s paper.

This comic farce has garnered strong reviews. The highly esteemed Kirkus Reviews calls it, “A darkly humorous howl of outrage at the decline of American newspapers.” It earned a Kirkus verdict of: “Get It,” which is reserved for books Kirkus considers exceptional.

Booksterr offered similar praise: “Mike Stetz has created a quick-moving, darkly humorous and surprisingly impactful story. He successfully combines suspense and satire to develop a commentary on modern media that is both relevant to today and razor-sharp. “Don’t Stop the Presses” is an unusual thriller, based on a protagonist whose extreme actions stem from a very relatable concern: the truth is no longer valued.”

Inside the occupied newsroom, the story expands into a rebellious reinvention of the very institution Roberts is trying to save. Inspired by the chaos, he begins trading editors for other bitter, laid-off reporters whose stories were also killed. With this tiny insurgent staff, Roberts imagines creating the Sun’s greatest edition ever — a final burst of old-school journalism built on accountability, urgency, and the belief that the public still deserves the truth.

However, one big question lingers. Who’s behind the bribe? The football team? Downtown developers? The shocking twist caps his story. All Roberts has to do is somehow get out alive, which won’t be easy given who he’s about to expose in his last byline.

The book is now available on Amazon Kindle, at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G852SF5T. Mike Stetz can be reached at michaeljstetz@gmail.com