Jay RosenJan 25, 2023

The market has failed. Philanthropy can't do it. The public good that is local news needs another support system. Now there's an alliance calling for public policy solutions. Rebuild Local News it is called. Their ideas:

* A tax credit for consumers to subscribe to or donate to local news
* A tax credit for small businesses to advertise in local news
* A tax credit for local news organizations to hire and retain local journalists

https://www.cjr.org/opinion/how-public-policy-can-help-save-local-news.php

#journalism #localjournalism

How public policy can help save local news

<p>It’s understandable that the idea that government should help save local media makes many journalists’ skin crawl. How can reporters get support from one of the institutions we’re supposed to be holding accountable? In this case, journalists should rethink their concerns. Here’s why: The local news crisis is severe—and on a scale beyond the capacity […]</p>

Columbia Journalism Review
Show threadAaron Ross Powell ☸️
@jayrosen_nyu How do we decide what qualifies as “local news” for purposes of the tax credits? We should be very cautious about giving the state, via legislators or regulators, the power to draw that line, for the same reason that we don’t want the government deciding what “the press” is for purposes of free speech protection. But if the state’s not deciding, then can anyone who says “I’m a local news source” get money directed to them through this program?
Jan 25, 2023 at 2:15amMona for Mac
Show threadDoc Edward Morbius ⭕​Jan 25, 2023

@arossp What counterveilling powers / interests against state/local government officials would you suggest?

@jayrosen_nyu

Show threadAaron Ross Powell ☸️Jan 25, 2023
@dredmorbius @jayrosen_nyu I don’t have a suggestion, because whatever we pick is going to run into the same problems of incentives and capture, analogous to what inevitably happens with occupational licensing boards, which is basically what this would demand. That’s why I think, as nice as it might be to funnel more money to local news, this kind of proposed program is entirely unworkable and in fact quite dangerous to a free press.
Show threadAaron Ross Powell ☸️Jan 25, 2023
@arossp @dredmorbius @jayrosen_nyu One big danger for example, is imagine you’re a local news organization and a significant portion of your operating budget comes through these tax credits. You want to break a story that will embarrass someone who has decision rights about your “local news” status. Do you run the story and risk the person retaliating by changing your status?
Show threadDoc Edward Morbius ⭕​Jan 25, 2023

@arossp My usual response to such concerns:

  • Is this markedly different from present risks? We have unfunded news organisations failing to cover anything at all. Something ... should ... be better than nothing. (See for example City of Industry, CA, and its utterly unaccountable government: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2021/09/california-corruption-city-of-industry/)

  • What other sources of funding might exist? I've long been a fan of The Economist's three-legged stool: subscriptions, advertising, and bespoke consulting services through the Economist Intelligence Unit. The three sources are diversified and reasonably independent. Taxpayer support, membership, patronage, events, advertising, and again, bespoke information products might be options.

  • Policy-based funding is subject to governmental procedures, overview, and appeal. It should be less subject to the whim of any one individual, in general. Identify risks, strengthen those.

  • Cross-jurisdictional organisations should be less subject to any one jurisdiction going rogue. E.g., for regional orgs, aim for, say, tri-county regional coverage (or better), such that there would be state, multiple counties, and within those multiple municipalities whose funding and political structures would be involved.

  • In my earlier response to @jayrosen_nyu, amongst the institutional foundations which might be included could be local public and private educational institutions, again another barrier against raw political interest and meddling.

How's that sit with you?

California's 'corridor of corruption' yields new case

Southern California's "corridor of corruption" has yielded a new case of insider dealing in the City of Industry.

CalMatters
Show threadJay RosenJan 25, 2023

@arossp The people involved are aware of this problem. Which is not to say they have solved it. So far the answers they have are: Must disclose ownership, have at least one one full time local reporter, have media liability insurance, and can't be funded by PACs or 501c4s.

https://twitter.com/stevenwaldman/status/1618066001366745088

Steven Waldman on Twitter

“@asveenstra @jayrosen_nyu No. But the challenge was how to come up with objective criteria that would deal with that. We tried: must disclose ownership, have at least one 1 full time local reporter, have media liability insurance, and cant be funded by PACs or 501c4s. Other ideas welcome!”

Twitter
Show threadAaron Ross Powell ☸️Jan 25, 2023
@jayrosen_nyu If Stormfront had a reporter on staff and was funded via donations from its readers, would it qualify for tax credits, then?
Show threadJay RosenJan 25, 2023

@arossp I don't know. But it might be harder than it looks to meet those conditions, especially media liability insurance. Would you insure Stormfront for the possibility it will libel someone?

I would add that the people involved are not naive and they are not idiots. They are aware of most, if not all of these problems, and they are trying to come up with creative solutions.

Show threadbobchauvinJan 25, 2023

@arossp @jayrosen_nyu If we can give tax exempt status to religious organizations, we should do the same for news organizations.

Amiright?

Show threadShannon ClarkJan 25, 2023

@arossp @jayrosen_nyu @billseitz perhaps the state can chat with their small business folks who track local publications that qualify as places for publishing stuff like public notices of doing business As and other legally mandated use of local media (my wife had to find one locally when she filled out her DBA paperwork a few years back)?

(This of course runs into the modern issue of online only publications but possibly this is a case where parts of government might work with each other?)