3 ms·

Public funding works really well in functional countries.

by epgui 4y ago

throwaway894345 4y ago
I mean, I love me some BBC, but there are plenty of publicly funded media outlets that are essentially just state propaganda. I don't think public funding is a panacea.
- cookie_monsta 4y ago
  No, being a functional country is the panacea
- epgui 4y ago
  It's obviously not a panacea, but it solves or can solve a specific set of problems. For anyone that has trouble imagining what I could possibly be talking about, there are some examples discussed here [1], from which I highlight a handful of bullet points, which may not all be mutually exclusive: - financial stability - the need to "chase the algorithm" - sensationalism as a perverse incentive of the market - a lack of incentivization of quality content - the perverse disincentivization of long-form content - the perverse incentivization of cheap editorial content over expensive investigative journalism - the availability of quality information to people who can't afford to pay for an expensive news subscription or who may simply not have access to news where they are - editorial independence from commercial or industrial interests - long-term viability of more local news - collapsing advertising revenue due to macro, social and tech trends - parasitic audience capture by social media platforms [1] https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/human_rights-droits_homme/policy-orientation-independence-independance.aspx?lang=eng https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_developme...
briandear 4y ago
How often does public funded media investigate those funding them?
- epgui 4y ago
  Literally all the time, in functional administrative systems. You have to think a little harder than "where the funding comes from" (yes that's important, everyone knows it's important to follow the money... but it's not the full picture). Sophisticated administrative structures can insulate you against certain risks by altering how power is normally or naturally distributed. When you design these systems, you create the accountability mechanisms that you want: almost anything is possible. Similarly, when issues come up with existing structures, the answer doesn't have to be an ideological pole (in whichever direction). The most reasonable answer is usually just to tweak the administrative structures / accountability mechanisms. In other words, you don't have to try and reason about this in purely theoretical, vague terms: it's a very practical and concrete problem that can have as much context and nuance as you want. That doesn't mean it's easy, but I hate that almost everyone seems to not even spend a minute being creative. Similarly, I hate how people confuse the issue of "is the media free to editorialize" with "do I agree with this piece of editorial content", which is >90% of the criticism I seem to see in general.

Public funding works really well in functional countries.

by epgui 4y ago

Public funding works really well in functional countries.

I mean, I love me some BBC, but there are plenty of publicly funded media outlets that are essentially just state propaganda. I don't think public funding is a panacea.

cookie_monsta 4y ago
No, being a functional country is the panacea
epgui 4y ago
It's obviously not a panacea, but it solves or can solve a specific set of problems. For anyone that has trouble imagining what I could possibly be talking about, there are some examples discussed here [1], from which I highlight a handful of bullet points, which may not all be mutually exclusive: - financial stability - the need to "chase the algorithm" - sensationalism as a perverse incentive of the market - a lack of incentivization of quality content - the perverse disincentivization of long-form content - the perverse incentivization of cheap editorial content over expensive investigative journalism - the availability of quality information to people who can't afford to pay for an expensive news subscription or who may simply not have access to news where they are - editorial independence from commercial or industrial interests - long-term viability of more local news - collapsing advertising revenue due to macro, social and tech trends - parasitic audience capture by social media platforms [1] https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/human_rights-droits_homme/policy-orientation-independence-independance.aspx?lang=eng https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_developme...

briandear 4y ago

How often does public funded media investigate those funding them?

epgui 4y ago
Literally all the time, in functional administrative systems. You have to think a little harder than "where the funding comes from" (yes that's important, everyone knows it's important to follow the money... but it's not the full picture). Sophisticated administrative structures can insulate you against certain risks by altering how power is normally or naturally distributed. When you design these systems, you create the accountability mechanisms that you want: almost anything is possible. Similarly, when issues come up with existing structures, the answer doesn't have to be an ideological pole (in whichever direction). The most reasonable answer is usually just to tweak the administrative structures / accountability mechanisms. In other words, you don't have to try and reason about this in purely theoretical, vague terms: it's a very practical and concrete problem that can have as much context and nuance as you want. That doesn't mean it's easy, but I hate that almost everyone seems to not even spend a minute being creative. Similarly, I hate how people confuse the issue of "is the media free to editorialize" with "do I agree with this piece of editorial content", which is >90% of the criticism I seem to see in general.