3 ms·

Even if you think newspapers are vital to democracy, that doesn't oblige other businesses to sell newspapers. These newspapers own their own distribution mecha

Even if you think newspapers are vital to democracy, that doesn't oblige other businesses to sell newspapers. These newspapers own their own distribution mechanisms (websites) that are unaffected by the decision of one third party website to part ways with them. Okay, but facebook is really ubiquitous so that makes it different... How is this any different from... the one grocery store in town removing their newspaper rack? It's the one grocery store, everybody in town shops there so that makes it super important or something. But the newspapers are still free to mail their newspaper to everybody's front door. They still have their websites too, anybody who wants to read those newspapers can still do so.

derefr 3y ago
It is, however, an interesting hypothetical to ask: if journalism itself is entirely unprofitable, such that all the newspaper companies eventually shut down, and private journalism stops being done — then what should we, as a public, do to retain our duty to be informed? Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"?
- vkou 3y ago
  > Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"? You can add enough layers of indirection and semi-elected committees and cultural expectations to make it mostly non-partisan (Think the process for awarding government-funded research grants)[1], but a government devoted to turning it into a partisan organ can, with enough effort, eventually corrupt any such system. That's why you need to push back, and punish governments that are trying to shift cultural expectations that prevent weaponization of various public institutions. [1] The incentives for corrupting this are far greater for media than they are for science, so I can't expect it will work well in practice. PBS, NPR, CBC, BBC are always a political football for this reason.
- geodel 3y ago
  If there were any enforceable duty to be informed. People would be buy newspaper subscriptions already to keep them running.
- betaby 3y ago
  > if journalism itself is entirely unprofitable, such that all the newspaper companies eventually shut down CBC and many other are backed by tax money. Some (many) Canadians think that we overspend on CBC and other media subsidies. > Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"? It supposed to be CBC. Some (many) believe it fails its goal.

derefr 3y ago

It is, however, an interesting hypothetical to ask: if journalism itself is entirely unprofitable, such that all the newspaper companies eventually shut down, and private journalism stops being done — then what should we, as a public, do to retain our duty to be informed? Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"?

vkou 3y ago
> Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"? You can add enough layers of indirection and semi-elected committees and cultural expectations to make it mostly non-partisan (Think the process for awarding government-funded research grants)[1], but a government devoted to turning it into a partisan organ can, with enough effort, eventually corrupt any such system. That's why you need to push back, and punish governments that are trying to shift cultural expectations that prevent weaponization of various public institutions. [1] The incentives for corrupting this are far greater for media than they are for science, so I can't expect it will work well in practice. PBS, NPR, CBC, BBC are always a political football for this reason.
geodel 3y ago
If there were any enforceable duty to be informed. People would be buy newspaper subscriptions already to keep them running.
betaby 3y ago
> if journalism itself is entirely unprofitable, such that all the newspaper companies eventually shut down CBC and many other are backed by tax money. Some (many) Canadians think that we overspend on CBC and other media subsidies. > Can there be such a thing as "non-partisan state-sponsored media"? It supposed to be CBC. Some (many) believe it fails its goal.