Massachusetts Bill Set to Subsidize Newspaper Subscriptions

[JimmyHoward33]

Well technically they're subsidizing the taxpayer as opposed to say a farm payment that goes direct to the business.

I'm not saying its a good idea but its far from the worst thing I've ever heard as far as propping up this industry

 

[justgladtobehere]

It's awful. it's propping up a dying industry without consideration of which paper may actually benefit. The Glob does fine, why should it get the same benefits as the Standard-Times?

 

[MisterCreosote]

Well technically they're subsidizing the taxpayer as opposed to say a farm payment that goes direct to the business.

I'm not saying its a good idea but its far from the worst thing I've ever heard as far as propping up this industry

There's nothing enshrined in the Constitution about the importance of a free and independent farming sector.

 

[The Big Ragu]

All the mental gymnastics in the world can't turn "free and independent" into "subsidized and legislated." That would be newspeak.

 

[Azrael]

The BBC manages to produce some pretty good journalism.

And the US government has been tangled up in journalism for a long time. Back to the creation of the FCC and beyond.

And subsidizing local news organizations in order to encourage a diversity of journalism was an idea first floated long ago.

https://www.oah.org/tah/issues/2018/august/the-inadequacy-of-american-press-freedom/

New Dealers sought to reform the economic structure of the newspaper industry so that a greater diversity of newspapers could exist and a greater range of information could reach the public.

What's worse? That William Randolph Hearst - or the 21st century corporate oligolopy equivalent - controls the news? Or that government deals out some firewalled funding? Or that local news collapses entirely?

These are very hard questions. In the current historic and economic moment, freedom of the press also includes the freedom of the press to fail.

I favor non-profits, but they may not scale to the smallest markets.

 

[justgladtobehere]

It's a business. Government shouldn't be giving the companies money.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

It's a business. Government shouldn't be giving the companies money.

Subsidy Tracker

Subsidy Tracker

Try a different argument. There are plenty.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Subsidy Tracker

Subsidy Tracker

Try a different argument. There are plenty.

So what? The government forked up in the past and now it's okay to keep forking up?

 

[Regan MacNeil]

So what? The government forked up in the past and now it's okay to keep forking up?

They're literally "forking up" all across American industry to the tune of billions upon billions of dollars every year and this is your bridge too far?

 

[justgladtobehere]

No. It is bad, the same as all the other direct subsidizes.

 

[Azrael]

It's not a direct subsidy.

It's a tax credit to subscribers.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Semantics. It's paying people for buying the newspaper. The newspaper ends up getting more because of the government paying people.