Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Put Your Tax Dollars to Work

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Earmarks for My Taxes

“It’s time for a government bailout of journalism. If we’re willing to use taxpayer money to build roads, pay teachers and maintain a military; if we’re willing to bail out banks and insurance companies and failing automakers, we should be willing to part with some public funds to keep journalism alive, too.”
—Rosa Brooks, now former columnist, Los Angeles Times, 2009. Click here for column.

Editorial Comment: Paperboy tips tax-deductible

Newswatch: Freelance American journalist Roxanna Saberi remains in custody in Teheran's Evin Prison, now charged with espionage. BBC video clip (4/14/09).
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3 comments:

  1. Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting StuffApril 15, 2009 at 9:17 AM

    A bevy of reactions to Ms. Brooks's suggestion:

    But wouldn't that be analogous to Count Dracula funding the Garlic Growers
    Association?
    --hodges

    What a wonderful idea!
    --Connie

    I couldn’t disagree with Rosa more. Horrible ideal. The last thing you want is govt to provide money to the press.
    --Brett

    So much for the watchdog principle.
    --Randy

    How about just subsidizing journalism professors?
    --Peter

    We do. You want fries with that?
    --Ted

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoeApril 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM

    Bad idea. Bad, bad, bad. I'd rather go down in a whimpering whiff of pixels and ink than get help from a system we're supposed to be watchdogging. (Can I verb that?)
    --Joe

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 15, 2009 at 12:59 PM

    I don't think the First Amendment would allow it. I'm sure that very fact has made believers out of members of Congress who heretofore found the First Amendment nothing but a big nuisance.

    ReplyDelete

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