Posted on 12/02/2009 11:12:04 AM PST by libh8er
A top Democratic lawmaker predicted on Wednesday that the government will be involved in shaping the future for struggling U.S. media organizations.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, saying quality journalism was essential to U.S. democracy, said eventually government would have to help resolve the problems caused by a failing business model.
Waxman, other U.S. lawmakers and regulators are looking into various options to help a newspaper industry hurt by the shift in advertising revenues to online platforms.
Tweaks to the tax code to allow newspapers to spread losses over a greater number of years, providing a nonprofit structure to allow for public and foundation funding, and changes to antitrust laws are being considered by lawmakers and policymakers.
"Eventually government is going to have to be responsible to help and resolve these issues," Waxman told a conference hosted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on the future of journalism.
Free Press, a public interest group, said the search for solutions to the crisis in journalism should be premised on the idea that news-gathering is a public service, not a commodity.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Uh Hi Henry, over here. American business!! We took losses majorly the last year and a half. Can we extend out our losses? Can you tell vendors and suppliers why we have trouble paying them timely when our customers don’t pay us timely? How about you just forgive our vendor debt since you seem so anxious to do it for the new media.
Why don’t you insist on the Tax Incentives of 2008 being extended now before it is too late, so that we can recoup our losses from the overage of taxes we paid in the last few years?
When the tax incentives were passed in 2008 i bought a business, new equipment and hired new personnel. Now with the failure by the government and the banking industry to support our economy some of those jobs have been lost.
Get with the program.
Corporatist
Man, that was brilliant!(14)
Government once again riding to the rescue of those who chose worthless majors in college...
The government cannot subsidize or regulate the media without in some way controlling the information it broadcasts or prints. Waxman better re-read the First Amendment particularly that part about “Congress shall make no law ...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...”
What’s the usual progression?
1.) Liberal University Think-tank comes-up with Socialist idea.
2.) Publication of Socialist idea.
3.) “Peer Review” of publication of Socialist idea.... See More
4.) Newspaper article(s) promoting Socialist idea (”Experts agree!”).
5.) Liberal Congressperson brings Socialist idea to floor.
6.) Democrats de...clare idea an “emergency.” (”Newspapers are the guardians of democracy itself!”)
7.) Socialist legislation proposed.
8.) Unanimous media barrage promoting Socialist idea.
9.) Socialist agenda voted into law.
I have said before, and I will say again: there are very few instances in which I would advocate for the actual violent overthrow of the U.S. government - the actual spilling of blood in revolt (including my own). Trying to make taxpayers fund the media - a very, VERY liberal media - is one of those instances. This should be the spark that ignites a fire of bombs and bullets.
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