Comments on: We Need to Subsidize Journalism as a Public Good http://sierravoices.com/2010/02/we-need-to-subsidize-journalism-as-a-public-good/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 10 May 2012 12:40:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Don Pelton http://sierravoices.com/2010/02/we-need-to-subsidize-journalism-as-a-public-good/comment-page-1/#comment-442 Don Pelton Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:41:46 +0000 http://sierravoices.com/?p=2426#comment-442 McChesney seems to be saying that such profitability is a thing of the past. Time will tell who's right. I suppose one could make the argument that journalism is a publilc good that should be subsidized whether it's profitable or not. That sounds right to me, since the profit arrangement had already brought us tremendous concentration of corporate ownership even before the recent meltdown, hardly a healthy development for a press that is supposed to speak truth to power. McChesney seems to be saying that such profitability is a thing of the past. Time will tell who’s right.

I suppose one could make the argument that journalism is a publilc good that should be subsidized whether it’s profitable or not. That sounds right to me, since the profit arrangement had already brought us tremendous concentration of corporate ownership even before the recent meltdown, hardly a healthy development for a press that is supposed to speak truth to power.

]]> By: Jeff Pelline http://sierravoices.com/2010/02/we-need-to-subsidize-journalism-as-a-public-good/comment-page-1/#comment-441 Jeff Pelline Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:50:34 +0000 http://sierravoices.com/?p=2426#comment-441 Thanks Don. Let's not forgot what got newspapers in trouble: building newspaper "chains" and big debt loads that they can't pay off now. Journalism is a profitable enough business, with the right leaders and cost structure. Its margins are way better than grocery stores, for example. New competitors need to spring up just as they have for hundreds of years in the print world. They will too. It's an exciting era. Thanks Don. Let’s not forgot what got newspapers in trouble: building newspaper “chains” and big debt loads that they can’t pay off now. Journalism is a profitable enough business, with the right leaders and cost structure. Its margins are way better than grocery stores, for example. New competitors need to spring up just as they have for hundreds of years in the print world. They will too. It’s an exciting era.

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