Breaching Our Freedom of Press or Reinvention of Journalism? You Decide

Journalism has evolved over the last fifty years due to innovation and technology and the journalist’s need to inform people and their inherent desire to “get the scoop.” From the invention of the printing press in 1456, to the publishing of the first real colonial newspaper by James Franklin, brother of Ben Franklin, in 1722, journalists have had the goal of bringing people the latest headlines and news. The development and gathering of news spans the growth through technology and trade and is marked by the innovation of specialized techniques for gathering and disseminating information on a regular basis, which in return has caused the steady increase of the expanse of news available to us and the speed in which it is transmitted.

There are discussions going on at the Federal Trade Commission that could change the way journalists and media outlets gather, distribute and report the news to Americans and the world. In May 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a project to consider the challenges faced by journalism in the internet age. Now, one year later, the staff responsible for this project presented a draft for discussion, in particular for the FTC roundtable discussions to be held in this summer, at the National Press Club. This draft is titled: Federal Trade Commission Staff Discussion Draft: Potential Policy Recommendations to Support the Reinvention of Journalism.

Some ideas contained in this FTC Discussion Draft, include the utilization of the AmeriCorps as an inexpensive, young journalistic alternative and issuing grants to university students to do the actual reporting. Ideas such as these could easily redefine traditional journalists from the role of watchdogs to government lap dogs. Also proposed are new taxes to cover the costs of these proposals which are estimated to run about $35 billion annually. The FTC’s draft explores a variety of ways to support news reporting, which must include non-market sources like philanthropy and government. The FTC’s goal is to make reporting a “public service”. As it is, most reporters now join the federal AmeriCorps program for more training after journalism school. Some reporters and editors are also staff at universities, which now play a large role in new production. Of America’s reporters, 60% are federal or state employees or receive some form of benefits from state or federal government; and the small percentage remaining work for news nonprofits.

This focus and hand wringing over another “too big to fail” industry from Washington has always been on their “to do” list, however, just as we have come to expect, there are many people behind this move to reinvent journalism and the media;

Here is the short list:

** Leonard Downie, Jr., and Michael Schudson, Columbia University, with a report titled The Reconstruction of American Journalism. This is a virtual blueprint for the FTC plan.

** The Knight Commission, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and convened by the Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute is funded by the normal gang of three; Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller. The Knight Commission suggests a federal tax credit for the support of investigative journalism.

** Prometheus Radio, self described as practicing a mixture of research, activism, and advocacy. They are also recipients of Ford Foundation funding.

** FreePress, supported by all the usual progressive foundations including President Obama’s pal George Soros’ Open Society Institute, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

** Ford Foundation, sponsor of Highlander Media Justice Gathering, August 2002

** United Church of Christ, with their Media Empowerment project and convenient “organizing” manual.

These groups are just a few of many. There is a monstrous network behind the “media justice” movement, which is part of the larger picture of progressive fundamental change. In my opinion this is just a “ways to the means” for the progressives. They are slowly taking over every industry here in America. I have no doubt what kind of journalism we can come to expect from the implementation of these ideas as they have laid them out. Surely, even without the “official” government takeover of the industry, news outlets will be intuitively aware of the source of their funding. It is my feeling, that our First Amendment right to the freedom of the press will be encroached on and violated with the issue of the first funding check.

I furthermore worry that these groups with founders such as Robert McChesney, whom founded Free Press eight years ago and who has been in the front of a proliferating movement on the far left to do to the U.S. media what Chavez and other left-wing progressive dictators always do, and that is take over the news media for promotion of their propaganda and their dictatorial regimes.

If you have any doubts, check out these quotes from McChesney:

“Only government can implement policies and subsidies to provide and institutional framework for quality journalism.”

“The news is not a commercial product. It is a public good, necessary for a self-governing society. Once we accept this, we can talk about the kind of media policies and subsidies we want.”

“In the end, there is no real answer but to remove brick-by-brick the capitalist system itself, rebuilding the entire society on socialist principals.”

I personally don’t see how a people could believe that a guy that thinks like that will have any respect for the First Amendment and our valued freedom of press. I have seen different articles and reports on the FTC’s “Reinventing Journalism” campaign, and it is clear that it is the Obama administration’s push for nationalizing the news media. This draft is the current focus of this initiative.

The three quotes above, more than make it clear to me that American journalists should be worried and outraged at the prospect of a democratic republic no longer having a independent press to hold the elected and appointed government officials accountable. I furthermore think it is important for all journalists interested in protecting their First Amendment rights to the freedom of press, to organize and start a definite effort to stop this initiative before it becomes policy. As referenced in a new Rasmussen Report survey, the danger of the FTC effort is very clear to the majority of Americans. Rasmussen showed in this survey that 85% of those surveyed oppose the idea of government “assistance” for the news media.

For all of the talk in the news about the “reinvention”, T.V. news trivializes certain media outlets on the internet such as blogs, and private websites, and newspapers bore us. Afternoon TV news ratings are a portion of what they were a few years back. “All news” radio stations have closed down, and newspaper circulation has dropped by as much as 50%. Employment in newspaper publishing has fallen to what it was 50 years ago. We are now getting our news in bits and bytes on websites, blogs, Face Book, Twitter, and in emails. Ordinary lay persons are becoming reporters and interpreters of the news on blogs all over the internet. All across our country, trained journalists and ordinary citizens are active participants in a revolution that is helping people to become more informed, and more empowered to affect the path of our public lives. It is my opinion, that this is what the FTC initiative is trying to curtail or prevent. Instead they would rather control the media and what people hear from the news and have it reported in the manner of “spin” that they wish.

I cannot get past the feeling in my gut that this is government intrusion into our First Amendment rights and I along with a millions of other people are not ready to give up this right to get informed and to do so with any media format we wish to use. Is this just another infringement into the rights of American’s with the guise of rescue of an industry? Or is this something more? Are we doomed to the progressive movement in government with all of our Bill of Rights freedoms? Get informed and you decide.