Bloomberg has thoughts on press freedom; the other candidates should give us theirs, too

[left-of-center2012]

Last November, each of the presidential campaigns received a questionnaire about an issue seldom discussed on the campaign trail, but one crucial to our democracy — freedom of the press. To date, only Michael Bloomberg has replied.

Where are the rest?

That’s why we at the National Press Club Journalism Institute, together with the National Press Club, the Society for Professional Journalists and other industry partners, asked presidential candidates from both parties to describe what a free press means to them, to define their obligations to the free flow of information, and to articulate their commitments to transparency. Bloomberg deserves credit for giving the questions serious consideration.

The Bloomberg campaign said the former three-term New York mayor wants the next president to be a “firm and outspoken champion” of the news media, has misgivings about the need for a federal media shield law and would restore regular press briefings to the White House.

It’s time to hear from the rest of the pack. It’s time for voters to demand a commitment to press freedom. It’s time to ask: Do you believe the president has a role in restoring faith in a free press and the checks it places on our institutions?

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/481597-bloomberg-has-thoughts-on-press-freedom-the-other-candidates-should-give-us

[LanternWaste]

1. No valid reason to believe any Dem candidate wants to stifle the press.

Rather than the hack author demanding answers from the "rest of the pack" he should first support his premise with evidence that the pack has something to answer for.




(these little narratives and editorials are bemusing, but get more and more absurd as time goes on)

[tirebiter]

2. Things can get complicated

The ACLU argued before the Supreme Court in favor of Citizens United on the basis that it was a first amendment issue

[Sherman A1]

3. From Andrew Yang's website.

LOCAL JOURNALISM FUND
Local newspapers and websites are withering away. In small towns and communities across the country, the local paper is a thing of the past, leading citizens to no longer have a sense of what’s happening in their local government, schools or communities.

For decades local media flourished supported by local advertisements and classified ads. This model is no longer able to support viable enterprises. Yet the function of local journalism is more important than ever to give people a sense of their own communities.

We should recognize that local journalism has a vital public function and support its transition from independent for-profit businesses to non-profits supported by citizens, local institutions, philanthropy and the government.

I will initiate the Local Journalism Fund, a dedicated $1 billion Fund operated out of the FCC that will make grants to companies, non-profits and local governments and libraries to help local newspapers, periodicals and websites transition to sustainability in a new era.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/local-journalism-fund/

AMERICAN JOURNALISM FELLOWS
Trust in media is at a record low as local news organizations dwindle away due to diminished ad revenues and circulation. Funding for journalists to engage in real investigative reporting is declining rapidly as even major publications no longer can afford robust newsrooms or beat reporters who don’t publish regularly. The information we use to make informed judgments is increasingly under threat.

It’s imperative that we stop this trend. We must treat journalism as the important safeguard to democracy that it is and free up a critical body of reporters from market pressures and incentives.

I will initiate the American Journalism Fellows, through which reporters from each state nominated by a body of industry professionals and selected by a nonpartisan commission will be given a 4-year grant of $400,000 ($100,000 per year) and stationed at a local news organization with the condition that they report on issues relevant to the district during the period of their Fellowship. This way, we will have hundreds of journalists in each state working on important news stories and supporting local news organizations.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/american-journalism-fellows/

MEDIA FRAGMENTATION
Outside of extreme cases of malicious libel, the freedom of the press is inviolate.

However, the fragmentation of our media is a growing problem. Different communities are receiving their news exclusively through different channels, resulting in world views with differing “facts” that rarely overlap. We can’t decide on shared values if we don’t agree on basic facts; we can’t find shared solutions if we don’t even agree what the problems are.

The government should not meddle with the free press. But the government should support the major media and technology companies in finding solutions to the issues. After the Russian influence campaign affected the 2016 election, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies have started to investigate ways to mitigate these issues. The government should be supporting them in any way they deem appropriate.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/media-fragmentation/