The media's primary mission is to inform, not entertain. Their rights are granted so they may elevate and educate by informing us of what are often difficult, nuanced and unwelcome truths. As it stands, this public mission is being forsaken in the name of private profit. It thus stands starkly before us as a modern market failure. Full Story »
Posted by Julian Friedland
The editorial starts with a false premise, "the mission of the media is to inform" No the mission of the media is to sell advertising. What they publish to attract the adverser is up to them. This editorial is a plea by the enlightened class for special treatment. The wheels are coming off the newspaper industry's business model and rather than fix it, the author wants the taxpayers to fund this broken model. (Think First Amendment problems) Economists call this rent seeking. The author rails against subsidies for agriculture, textiles and other rent seekers yet he thinks his mission, educate and enlighten as he choses to do it is worthy of such subsidy. He illustrates his "demand" for subsidies by citing the success of the wonderful, loonie left wing BBC. (No this is not the BBC that so resolutely broadcast during WWII, this is the BBC that praises Hamas and calls Israelis Nazis) Message to the Newspaper industry, "The Times they are a changing" deal with it.
