I would give them zero stars if that was an option.  San Jose Mercury bought out Santa Cruz Sentinal and started laying off almost all of the Santa Cruz Sentinal staff.  The paper for Santa Cruz is now printed over 30 miles away and trucked over highway 17.  It seems like if there is going to be a news paper company  for a town they should be located in that specific town.  Anyone who lives in the Santa Cruz area knows that we hate people from over the hill (Silicon Valley).  Especially during the summer when they flood and trash our town.  Keep jobs local.

An associate with Mercury News called ('telemarketed') me about twice a week for a month straight. THEY ARE EXTREMELY PUSHY EVEN WHEN I CONSTANTLY SAY NO. When i finally agreed to give them my information for a "FREE PROMOTION" they had going on. (free sunday papers for a month) They mail me a bill for $5.00. Now, I was'nt even interested in the promo but rather gave them my information out of irritation. I specifically asked the guy if I would have to pay anything, he said no. So what the hell is this bill for??

Solid local and sports coverage, plus a more attractive layout, puts the SJMN yards ahead of the SF Chronicle. You won't find thought-provoking commentary on international affairs here, but they've had lots of interesting articles over the years about the unique culture of Silicon Valley.

The worst paper in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Jose Mercury News makes the San Francisco Chronicle seem like a good newspaper. Terrible local and national coverage. Reporters have been fired from San Jose Mercury News for making up stories. This was before The New York Times reporter was caught doing the same thing.

Enormous potential, but can't seem to back burner its ideology. Too aggressive in embracing elite posturing.

Sometimes it's hard for me to tell much of a difference between this paper and the San Francisco Chronicle. They both do an above-average job of covering Silicon Valley business news (relative to other daily papers), but other than that there's not much that stands out. And if forced to choose between the News and the Chronicle, I'd pick the Chronicle.