Government run Media Organizations?
According to Reuters – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said that…
…quality journalism was essential to U.S. democracy, said eventually government would have to help resolve the problems caused by a failing business model.
Sir…although I will agree with your underlying premise – that journalism…quality or otherwise – is important to our democracy – it is the concept of a free and untethered press that is much more important. Government should have, cannot have and must not have a role – ANY role that would interfere with that freedom – and any attempt to do so but this administration or any other should be strongly fought against!
Sir, you should stick to trying to figure out how to get our country out of dept, our people back to work, and our elderly healthy and active. THEN and only then should you worry your pretty little heads about such lofty things as bailing out the LA Times, NBC, OH, and yes – our First Amendment rights – and just how you may destroy them.
You ask…
All across the country, people are focusing on a really tough question: Are The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the papers of other big cities and hometowns across the country going to be here in 5 or 10 years?
Not to seem too harsh – but – who cares? THAT in case you didn’t realize is a BUSINESS issue – and as much as you little congress people want to run business after business – THAT is NOT your job!
Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solution Edward R. Murrow
You said…
The loss of revenues has spurred a vicious cycle with thousands of journalists losing their jobs, which reduces the quality of the paper and triggers the need for additional cost-cutting. As newspaper managements attempt to cope, their publications are suffering snowballing declines in circulation. As audiences shrink, advertising revenues fall off further. Even greater consolidation of the sector has not helped.
Look – first of all – there are NOT thousands of journalists out there! There MAYBE thousands of reporters, thousands of obituary writers, and newspaper delivery boys losing their gigs – but definitely NOT thousands of journalists. Edward R Morrow was a journalist…everyone else…well…ARE NOT!
Secondly – you brought up the very reason WHY this is a business issue – in that the poor job of newspaper management, their lack of foresight in “taming the net” – and their inability to coop and adapt – will lead more and more of these “bastion” of media to bite the bullet – AS THEY SHOULD! If you use their lack of business sense as a reason to “rescue” them – and obliterate our Freedom of the Press – then you MUST rescue almost every other business run by poor management! Which is about 100% of those who go out of business! Don’t use their lack of brain power to justify a future of lack of brain power!
You said…
We cannot risk the loss of an informed public and all that means because of a “market failure.”
Question sir…just HOW does that work? Are you trying to tell us that just because the NY Times goes belly up – that there will not be a rush to fill the vacuum left by a marketing powerhouse…that at one time may have kept the public informed…but has very recently turned into what could only be called a dog and pony show for which ever way the political winds are blowing? Oh – and of course, one of the best circular inserts on Sundays?
You throw out quotes from various sources…
From an interview of Jim Lehrer, in the NY Post…Mr. Lehrer talked about all the commentary on the health bill, but then he observed: “But what was actually in the legislation? Where are you going to get that piece? You go to a serious news organization.”
From the WH Correspondents Association Dinner last May…when President Obama stated…“You help all of us who serve at the pleasure of the American people do our jobs better by holding us accountable, by demanding honesty, by preventing us from taking shortcuts and falling into easy political games that people are so desperately weary of. And that kind of reporting is worth preserving — not just for your sake, but for the public’s. We count on you to help us make sense of a complex world and tell the stories of our lives the way they happen, and we look for you for truth …”
You then ended your speech with…
We have to figure out, together, how to preserve that kind of reporting.
NO SIR – YOU ARE WRONG! “YOU” the government should play no role in anything of the sort! IT IS WE THE PEOPLE that must decide which company survives, which “KIND” of reporting is preserved. As much as you and the rest of the democratic party would like to control the media, the newspapers, the TV News, the cable news, the internet, the bloggers and yes – even the legitimate Journalists of the world – it is not your place.
Stay out of it sir – and preserve this country as it should – with a free and unhindered press! Then and ONLY then can you say that you have done the job you pledged to do when you assumed office – to protect the Constitution of the United States of America!
