Here’s the latest spew of California Donkey Party Congresscritter Henry Waxman.
Govt will need to help shape U.S. media: Waxman
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.
This is wrong in many ways.
Firstly, does anyone SERIOUSLY think that government is going to put itself in a position to “resolve the problems caused by a failing business model” without taking over management? The precedent is already out there with the banks, financials, and auto companies.
Diversity of opinion and free speech? Would any publication or writer dare to go against the acceptable “party line” of the government, knowing that their bread and butter comes off the government’s table? NOT BLOODY LIKELY!
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….”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.
WHY? Did the government feel it necessary to guarantee the continued survival of the telegraph, to protect and maintain the right of citizens to communicate freely? Not quite…as it turned out the telegraph services withered away due to other, faster, more direct, and cheaper technologies.
In the same way, THIS IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT! This is NOT part of the Constitution! The ONLY thing in the Constitution about the press is in Amendment 1: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;…” There is NOTHING there that Congress has the obligation to MAINTAIN and PROVIDE a particular form of media, in this case the daily newsprint media.
In case you hadn’t noticed, there ARE other ways to get “news and views”…you’re looking at one right now!