Re: Setting the price of a free press

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Keith Bostic <keith () bostic com>
Date: August 22, 2009 5:58:57 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Setting the price of a free press
Reply-To: keith () bostic com

On Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 3:58 PM, David Farber<dave () farber net> wrote:
> This is more than a slippery slope, it is a cliff. The same can be  
> said of
> several major industries -- TV, telecom etc.. Shall we gut the anti- 
> trust
> laws?

I don't think that's where he's going -- I think he's focused
specifically on "serious journalism", wherever that journalism is
produced.

That said, I think he's wrong.

First, let's agree the existing financial model of "advertising
supports news" is dead.  Advertising has left the building, and it's
never coming back.

Second, let's agree "serious journalism" is an essential part of a  
democracy.

If newspapers are allowed to collude, then it's unreasonable for them
to remain for-profit entities.   You shouldn't be a monopoly and then
unilaterally decide how much money you'll make.

In which case... why not strip newspapers down to their public-service
functions (for example, get rid of advertising), and have them funded
as a public service by the public?  Congress can directly fund news
organizations, and we're done.

That said, the existing newspaper owners are unlikely to agree --
they're fighting hard, not to solve the problem of investigative
reporting in a democracy, but the problem of making money by owning a
newspaper.   Since the latter is a hugely difficult (if not
impossible), problem to solve, I doubt newspapers will survive.

--keith

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Keith Bostic
keith () bostic com




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