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Newspaper Bailouts coming

This troubles me... especially if the government gets more and more say over what gets printed, Kremlin style. Think about it... if the Washington Post gets bailed out for example, do you think you'll see any more critical op-ed's about politicians?

Some state lawmakers want to transfer capital from taxpayers to failing private enterprises, which we've seen on a national level for the last two months. Their rationalizations make clear that the lawmakers have no concept of media, democracy, or common sense:

quote:

Connecticut lawmaker Frank Nicastro sees saving the local newspaper as his duty. But others think he and his colleagues are setting a worrisome precedent for government involvement in the U.S. press. Nicastro represents Connecticut's 79th assembly district, which includes Bristol, a city of about 61,000 people outside Hartford, the state capital. Its paper, The Bristol Press, may fold within days, along with The Herald in nearby New Britain. That is because publisher Journal Register, in danger of being crushed under hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, says it cannot afford to keep them open anymore.

http://www.reuters.com/article/reut...0081231?sp=true

With the advent of the internet, who reads papers anymore anyway? Their readership has been declining for a while. Nicastro and his allies want to prop up an old failing model with taxpayer subsidies. They feel that news media are too important to democracy, but fail to understand why... and even some media figures have trouble understanding it:

quote:

"The media is a vitally important part of America," Nicastro said, particularly local papers that cover news ignored by big papers and television and radio stations. Former Miami Herald Editor Tom Fiedler said that a democracy has an obligation to help preserve a free press. "I truly believe that no democracy can remain healthy without an equally healthy press," said Fiedler, now dean of Boston University's College of Communication. "Thus it is in democracy's interest to support the press in the same sense that the human being doesn't hesitate to take medicine when his or her health is threatened."

The ONLY REASON that news media is vital to a democracy is its independence from government. Think about it... is The National Enquirer vital to democracy? Will the Republic fall if Entertainment Weekly suddenly closed its doors? Not at all, not even if the entire paparazzi industry suddenly collapsed.

The very act of asking for those bailouts has destroyed their independence and credibility on political matters, the very core of what makes a free media necessary for a democracy.
- Ed Morrissey

"Let Them Die"--> http://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=3462

whatever - i'm not for bailing out companies unless its failure would have a long lasting devastating effect on the economy. I doubt the failure of a newspaper would have these consequences.


Oh - independence from the government is not the key factor; an impartial media is key. It is entirely possible that news could remain impartial notwithstanding government funding. The government could set up a trust that independently funds media and the funding is based on objective criteria (e.g., sales, coverage, costs).

I have seen several BBC features/commentatorss that are critical of the UK government. As you probably know, the BBC is publicly funded.

Re: Newspaper Bailouts coming

quote:

Originally posted by The17sss This troubles me... especially if the government gets more and more say over what gets printed, Kremlin style. Think about it... if the Washington Post gets bailed out for example, do you think you'll see any more critical op-ed's about politicians?

I don't think that will change - in the end papers will be looking to make a profit and not merely have their costs covered by the government. They'll still be interested in moving copies of their papers, and nothing is as fun to read as criticism. The diffusion of responsibility involved in bailouts also ensures that being critical of President Obama in an op-ed probably won't have much influence on a vote in the House of Representatives.

Also, in the newspaper business it is influence and not approval that is most sought-after.

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