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French already subsidizes its newspaper, and now the U.S. government may follow:
The federal government is wading into deliberations over the future of journalism as printed newspapers, television stations and other traditional media outlets suffer from Americans’ growing reliance on the Internet.With the media business in a state of economic distress as audiences and advertisers migrate online, the Federal Trade Commission began a two-day workshop Tuesday to examine the profound challenges facing media companies and explore ways the government can help them survive.
Media executives taking part are looking for a new business model for an industry that is watching traditional advertising revenue dry up, without online revenue growing quickly enough to replace it. Government officials want to protect a critical pillar of democracy—a free press.
“News is a public good,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. “We should be willing to take action if necessary to preserve the news that is vital to democracy.”
Notice that there is no crises in news. News is abundant in America. But government officials are under the impression that a free press only exists on paper. That a free press thrives only in the traditional format. This is nonsense. Back in the day, news traveled via pamphlets on horseback. As that was on the decline, does it mean that the government should have subsidized it because it was the norm? I think most would say no.
Newspapers are on the decline because of technological advances and the ease of obtaining information online. If the state is going to bailout the press, then every single institute that can blame financial hardship on Google will be inline to receive a handout. And this would be a moral outrage since subsidizing of the press would mean taxpayer funding of editorial pages that offend the views of many tax payers. It is unconstitutional, as well.
And NO news is NOT a public good. News is not a need akin to roads or courts. There are many people who voluntarily go without news. This is not something that the government needs to provide. Idiots!!!
WTF is up with this government? Do these people think they can just spend other peoples' money on anything they want. Somebody needs to tell them: THAT ISN'T YOUR MONEY, ASSHOLE!!!
