Newspaper Bail-Out, For Donations In Kind?

Gee, why would Obama consider a bill of this type? It isn't as if he and the Dems don't already own the folks he'd be bailing out. If Obama thinks he's going to take our tax dollars to re-distribute to the Pinch Sulzberger's of the world, he needs to hear forcefully from the American people that the day of the bail-out has passed.

We need to reverse this trend of government co-opting the private sector, and not give them anymore reach into established media than they already enjoy. When it comes to bailing out newspapers, the Right and Republicans have to be prepared to go to the mat.

The president said he is "happy to look at" bills before Congress that would give struggling news organizations tax breaks if they were to restructure as nonprofit businesses.

"I haven't seen detailed proposals yet, but I'll be happy to look at them," Obama told the editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade in an interview.

Comments

[Rich K]

Who would even notice? NPR,PBS and now the NYT,Wapo.Same theme ,different labels.

[daveinboca]

Under Pinch S's disastrous leadership, the NYT is already non-profit, while the WSJ with twice the circulation and ten times the credibility, is a big money-maker. I remember reading a Nicholas Pileggi book of how the mob takes over a restaurant and "blows it out," ordering on its established credit lots of items that it then resells while the owners get fleeced and bankrupted. Metaphorically, the mainstream media existed on its credibility; every thinking American, which leaves out the libtards, will still refuse to buy or read the subsidized drivel, which predictably will ape Pravda and Isvestia like the suck-up NYT already does.

This is probably what's going to happen to fishwrap tabloids like Time, Newsweak, and the NYT, already sinking in red ink. Don't look for the govt, to bail out FoxNEWS, which doesn't need it, just like Ford didn't need a bail-out.

The happy result will be a big boost in Fox just like Ford is now preferred as an auto made by non-union owners.

[Larry Wilcoxx]

WaPo is liberal? What an utter complete fool you are.

[Fred Beloit]

My fellow Floridian has calmed me down a little. I was going bonks from reading a headline on Drudge that the Pres. would consider legislation "helping" the newspapers. Dave may be correct about WSJ, FoxNews, and other free media coming out ahead in the long run. However, what if the Pres. and friends get into the mandate mode and bring the M-word into the mix? What if news outlets will be mandated to accept financing (and the attached strings that go with it)?

This whole idea of financing selected media sources stinks, in my opinion. Plus, it is another tax-payer expense and the creation of another Tsar and agency of government.

[david r]

I hope the independents who voted for this guy realize that he is simply forwarding a socialist agenda at their expense. He says he won't tax any families making less than $250K/ yr, then he proposed a 35% tax on the healthcare companies with private employer plans. This tax will simply be passed on to all of us regardless of how much we make. It is the tollroad equivalent. ('Look, we built this beautiful freeway and did not have to raise your taxes.') Obama is helping 'his people' at all our expense: the unions with the cash for clunkers and the bailouts; ACORN with millions funneled to them; and, of course, the deadbeat poor with Obamacare.