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2009-09-21 Home Front: Politix

The president said he is "happy to look at" bills before Congress that would give struggling news organizations tax breaks if they were to restructure as nonprofit businesses.

"I haven't seen detailed proposals yet, but I'll be happy to look at them," Obama told the editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade in an interview.

Just about every penny he's spent so far is to bail out his allies.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has introduced S. 673, the so-called "Newspaper Revitalization Act," that would give outlets tax deals if they were to restructure as 501(c)(3) corporations. That bill has so far attracted one cosponsor, Cardin's Maryland colleague Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D).

I'm way surprised Boxer didn't sign on ...

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had played down the possibility of government assistance for news organizations, which have been hit by an economic downturn and dwindling ad revenue. In early May, Gibbs said that while he hadn't asked the president specifically about bailout options for newspapers, "I don't know what, in all honesty, government can do about it."

Obama said that good journalism is "critical to the health of our ~~party~~ democracy," but expressed concern toward growing tends in reporting -- especially on political blogs, from which a groundswell of support for his campaign emerged during the presidential election.

"I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding," he said.

Posted by Steve White 2009-09-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11143 views ] Top

#1 Rumor sez Associated Press is already restructuring as APCORN.

Posted by ed 2009-09-21 01:04|| 2009-09-21 01:04|| Front Page Top

#2 all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context

That doesn't describe the Legacy Media outlets at all. Nope, no sirree. Uh-uh. No way. Dan Rather said so.

Posted by Cornsilk Blondie 2009-09-21 06:35|| 2009-09-21 06:35|| Front Page Top

#3 maybe we should bail out the buggy whip manufacturers next

create or save thousands of jobs

Posted by lord garth 2009-09-21 06:53|| 2009-09-21 06:53|| Front Page Top

#4 He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2009-09-21 07:41|| 2009-09-21 07:41|| Front Page Top

#5 ...or a bailout for rotary dial phone manufacturers.

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-09-21 07:49|| 2009-09-21 07:49|| Front Page Top

#6 Sooooo Stoooooopid

Posted by newc">newc 2009-09-21 12:06|| 2009-09-21 12:06|| Front Page Top

#7 He's laughing at us. And that includes the ones that voted for him.

Posted by Woozle Uneter9007 2009-09-21 15:25|| 2009-09-21 15:25|| Front Page Top

#8 Bright Pebbles, exactly right. The MSM is thoroughly in the tank for The One now. You see few small criticisms of him, but nothing much. Imagine what it will be like when the newspapers are dependent on Him for their continued funding.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia">Rambler in Virginia 2009-09-21 20:42|| 2009-09-21 20:42|| Front Page Top

#9 I smell another payoff for support.

Posted by JohnQC 2009-09-21 23:19|| 2009-09-21 23:19|| Front Page Top

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