Posted on 04/22/2013 10:06:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In an age of declining revenue and readership for newspapers it is interesting that a battle is shaping up between the left- and right-leaning zillionaires for control of the Tribune Media group of eight newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The Orlando Sentinel, and others.
The New York Times quotes the usual media enthusiasts crying in horror about the profanation of the Holy Temple of Journalism by filthy barbarian hands—”It’s a frightening scenario when a free press is actually a bought and paid-for press,” the director of one watchdog group said—but for more than 200 years American journalism has largely survived as a for-profit institution. The desire of wealthy people to ensure that the news media are shaped in what they see as a socially and politically positive direction is not in our view a wicked thing, and that would be true on the left and the right.
According to the Times, two groups are jostling for the Tribune company’s newspapers: the Koch brothers, conservative billionaires and longtime supporters of libertarian causes; and a varied group of wealthy, mostly liberal Los Angeles residents. From our point of view it’s an excellent thing that two groups of differing political persuasions are eying major newspaper acquisitions. We need diversity in journalism; the left and the right see society from different positions and both sides can offer useful and helpful insights.
From where we sit, the biggest danger to journalism today is the gentry liberal groupthink one can call the “Acela cocoon.” It’s particularly problematic for journalism right now because it mutes press criticism of the current Administration. On a handful of issues—civil liberties, drones, the environment, Iran—the Acela cocoon is significantly to the left of the Obama administration and so has been criticizing the Administration a little harder now that the election is out of the way. But on so many big issues of the day the Administration and much of the press are so closely allied that the press genuinely has a hard time criticizing power.
That would change under a GOP president, of course; the press would turn from lapdogs to pit bulls almost overnight. From the standpoint of the public interest, we need a strong right wing press corps to go after Democratic and liberal presidents and a strong liberal press corps to keep Republican and conservative politicians on their toes. That way, no matter who controls Washington the public’s interest in press oversight will be served, and we can also count on the left and right wingers in the press to check each other’s work. All this would be significantly better than the overrepresentation of the Acela consensus in the contemporary press; competition and rivalry is what the press needs.
Actually a bought and paid-for press,It’s what we had for the last thirty years now is the time for real change.
Just give us the unbiased, unvarnished truth!
The prospect of that happening is what has the leftards clawing themselves in utter terror.
You would think that the leftards would want the Koch brother to throw good money after bad on money losing newspapers.
They fear that these paper might actually make a difference and become profitable again.
Ping!
Here is a post worth a look.
Also, it would be nice to have domestic energy guys have a say.
I hope they succeed and then go after the public school system.
Someone 'gets it'....never thought I'd live long enough to see the day... It's here - one person totally 'gets it'...
Love the “Acela cocoon” reference to the NY/DC corridor !!!
Another tie, beyond political persuasion, for the Bros Koch is their ownership of GP for paper supply.
We better hope they don’t go the way of FOX News.
Agree hope it happens.
They won’t lose money.
First, they’re smart enough to understand how readership demographics work in their favor. Middle aged, middle class citizens care about the community they live in - and what kind of country will be left to their children.
That’s the group that will buy a newspaper - and they tend to be conservative.
Liberal newspapers keep pushing for the ‘youth reader’ because young people are more liberal. But young people don’t give a flip about how their community’s run - what bills are being voted on etc... well, with rare exception. They’ll care when they’re older - and have kids in the school system and pay property taxes etc... but not now...
Of course there are liberal elites - but in the average city there aren’t enough of them to support a newspaper. They might be influential but with a paper - numbers count. Advertisers want to know how many eyes see their ads...
So, if conservatives buy a paper and run it correctly (very few conservative journalists in the country - they’ll have to look - and look hard ) they’ll win. Big time.
A conservative alternative to MSNBC is what is really needed.
Once the sale is finalized, a syndicate of wealthy conservatives can be organized. The responsibility for changing American news can be spread around along with the cost of unprofitable newspapers.
Newspapers that printed the truth without leftist b.s. might actually be profitable.
Should they succeed in destroying the ‘Slimes, the Globalists and the LAT, I suggest we give them a medal.
Of course, those three (among others) are doing a pretty good job of destroying themselves.
But, help is always appreciated. The sooner the t*rds are flushed, the less Obamasmell there is to contend with.
(very few conservative journalists in the country - they’ll have to look - and look hard )
Maybe more than you think. I’d bet there are a lot who were unable to find jobs in the business just because of their political positions.
I wish they’d buy one of the big three lefty networks instead. Could you imagine them walikng on set during the evening news broadcast and handing out pink slips on live tv? It’d be a hoot.
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