What a crock of baloney! In May the Federal Trade Commission issued what it calls a "staff discussion draft titled "Potential Policy Recommendations To Support The reinvention Of Journalism".
What the hay! The government didn't invent journalism why in the world do they have to have a hand in "reinventing journalism"?
I have posted on this subject before in a piece called "Bail out Mania". I can't believe we are even having this discussion. In the old days when an industry or service or whatever became obsolete,outmoded or outdated they went out of business.
Not any more-today if what you produce becomes obsolete - the government will come to your rescue to blame the innovators and to prop up the flawed product that you produce that no one wants anymore.
This is basically the case with the print media. Hard copy-hold in your hands- newspapers are obsolete!! Besides that the majority of the nations newspapers have become nothing more than mouthpieces of the liberal progressive movement. They are extremely biased and the public is sick of it.
People don't trust the main stream media any more. Now the FTC wants to prop these shysters up. This is an open invitation for corruption of all sorts. Ultimately this will lead to government control of the media in one way or another. How critical are news organizations going to be if they are counting on the government dole to survive?
Fortunately for those who cringe at the idea of the Feds bailing out the media they have provided a way for those concerned to give them feedback about this ill conceived notion at this( link click to learn more) the subject category is "From Town Criers to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?"
Here is the answer.Journalism-as it is known in America-is a child of the free market and capitalism. Journalism doesn't need the government to save it! True journalism will survive on it's own.
It's interesting that in their subject matter they mention town criers and bloggers.This country came into existence as a result of people who took advantage a a new phenomena -in their time- cheap printing presses. Seems every body started producing their own broadsides and news sheets.
Well that is what is happening today! Social media and blogging software and sites have brought new life to an old American tradition of "Citizen journalism" However the powers that be -both in government and the old media-don't like this new re-empowerment of the people. In fact it is my opinion that they want to kill it!
That is what all this hand wringing about "saving journalism" is all about!! For years a hand full of newspapers and three television networks had a strangle hold on information-but alas no more- and they hate it.
Now their "saviors" at the Federal Trade Commission are trying to repay the liberal media for all their years of support for big government by bailing them out!!
It is high time for all of us to take advantage of the opportunity to oppose this trash go to their "Town Criers to Bloggers" page today and voice your opposition to them today!!
