The Death and Life of Great American Newspapers
Communities across America are suffering through a crisis that could leave a dramatically diminished version of democracy in its wake. ... Journalism is collapsing, and with it comes the most serious threat in our lifetimes to self-government and the rule of law as it has been understood here in the United States. Full Story »
Posted by Subramanya Sastry
The authors make a reasonable point that government subsidies could help support journalism more effectively than other, more speculative remedies like citizen donations, philanthropic grants or online subscriptions. UK's BBC is a great example of what we could be doing in the U.S., if we could muster the political will -- and the authors' estimated $10-20 billion annual costs doesn't seem outlandish, compared to other government programs. I believe that we would pay a much higher price for losing journalism as a public service, even though that intangible cost is hard to estimate.