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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Media Newspapers or Neuteredpapers?

Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 3:32 PM

This seems like a bad idea...

With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks....

[Senator Benjamin Cardin's] Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies.

Under this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

A lot of people rely on daily newspapers for their endorsements, particularly in down-ticket races, and banning them from daily newspapers will just further empower the political blogs that are eating them alive. On the other hand... if the Seattle Times had been prevented from endorsing Dino Rossi—twice—my boyfriend might have allowed me to transfer our P-I subscription over to the Seattle Times.

Comments (10) RSS

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This is an awful idea. I don't think editorial endorsements carry the same weight that they used to (Dino Rossi lost twice, afterall) but it seems like a pretty standard function of an editorial board to give their endorsements. I'd say try again.

Posted by heywhatsit on March 24, 2009 at 3:41 PM

I found it very odd to discover that newspapers, which always profess to be unbiased, even made endorsements. Stick to news.

Posted by TheTruthHurts on March 24, 2009 at 3:42 PM

They can bypass this by "outsourcing" the endorsements and publishing endorsements as "news."

Posted by Simac on March 24, 2009 at 3:46 PM

Anyone who relies on The Stranger, or god forbid, Dan Savage's statements to guide their vote is seriously disturbed. You don't know shit about Politics, Dan. You just repeat what other, more insightful and educated people have to say. Stick to the dildo and cuckhold advice. We intellectuals will help with the politics.

Posted by Who loved the Iraq war? Rumsfeld, Cheney, Savage! on March 24, 2009 at 3:52 PM

I guess I always figured that anybody who relies on a complete stranger to tell them how to vote was probably too dumb to vote in the first place.

That said, I don't like any situation where the government tells the press what they can or cannot do.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 24, 2009 at 4:04 PM

Aren't they already nonprofits?

Posted by DOUG. on March 24, 2009 at 4:42 PM

I'm glad to see the Seattle Times has expanded the comics page (a day late), but making them tax-exempt is just plain wrong.

Bring back corner bullet ads on the front page and half page ads in every second edition on the front of sections - like they had way back when.

Their problem is they keep cutting the parts we like while their revenues go down.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 24, 2009 at 4:42 PM

The Times can offer ads all over the place — the reality is no one wants to advertise. They HAVE to go non-profit. MUST.

Posted by just do it already on March 24, 2009 at 4:52 PM

Oh Dan! Ohhhhhh Dan! I am so geared up for your mayoral campaign. I've been combing the Slog archives for your best writings. I want the citizens of Seattle to know the real Dan Savage. Compassionate, thoughtful, empathetic, generous, OH Dan!!! I can hardly wait for the campaign to begin. I'll be there for you Dan. I'll be there for you every day promoting your past musings on matters large and small to the citizens of Seattle.

Must I report my expenditures to your campaign if we don't collude on the message?

Posted by Michelle on March 24, 2009 at 9:32 PM

I dunno, Dan...if they could go tax-free and still accept ads and commentary and all that, and only had to give up endorsing specific candidates, I think most papers would be able to deal with that quite well.

Down ticket races, I guess....no, actually, they could just print a slanted voter's guide like all the churches do. No reason to oppose this idea. Papers should report the news, not endorse selectmen.

Posted by iLLogicaL on March 25, 2009 at 10:22 AM