News papers fail to get support as people move to online sources like twitter. Ads and subscriptions put things behind paywalls that many people choose not to scale in favor of sticking to the "sources" on platforms like Facebook.
About the only news source that hasn't changed much is the public news sources.
As part of my work and research over the years following the news across multiple platforms and checking in with multiple sources has not just been a practice, but has been required because of the mixture of editorial and commentary being billed as news.
Which brings me back to the pay wall.
The best news is often behind a subscription and arguably it should be part of platforms financial distributions.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, google, etc. disseminate a lot of news and are the platforms that many people turn to. Twitter is a bit different because many of the reporters and editors are on the platform as part of their every day already.
Independent news has been demonized as fake news by sources that are backed and steered by political parties.
Because of the way that State News sources have been turned into propaganda machines by governments that would use the news as a way of controlling the populace.
The only news, at least in the U.S. that has stayed both objective and solid is Public Broadcasting. PBS and NPR. Once these two sources of news were funded by tax grants and revenue and then supplemented by donations and things. But during the early 2000's they were defunded, largely because many of the people in political authority viewed objective and educational news and entertainment that refused to be swayed by political hierarchies didn't need to be receiving funds.
Luckily they have received a lot of support from independent donors and their broadcasts have become like the radio shows of old where the commercials of corporate donors play as part of the broadcast.
Though, unlike many other news sources one of the things they always state when talking about a company or individual that donates large sums of money to them is that they note it in the article or news story. And, again, thank the powers that be for Public broadcastings and Public Radios unwavering journalistic integrity over the past 20 years, they still pull no punches regardless of the size of donor.
"We'll take your money and we'll use it to do the news but that doesn't buy you fluff and nutter reporting when you or your company get up to shenanigan's." Is not what they say but it's good and damn well implied.
The only downside to this is that these are national news aggregates, NPR and PBS, which makes it difficult for local news to be disseminated in such a way as news papers slowly fade and local news fights for recognition as streaming and national sources start to interject.
NPR One though.
Because of the way that State News sources have been turned into propaganda machines by governments that would use the news as a way of controlling the populace.
The only news, at least in the U.S. that has stayed both objective and solid is Public Broadcasting. PBS and NPR. Once these two sources of news were funded by tax grants and revenue and then supplemented by donations and things. But during the early 2000's they were defunded, largely because many of the people in political authority viewed objective and educational news and entertainment that refused to be swayed by political hierarchies didn't need to be receiving funds.
Luckily they have received a lot of support from independent donors and their broadcasts have become like the radio shows of old where the commercials of corporate donors play as part of the broadcast.
Though, unlike many other news sources one of the things they always state when talking about a company or individual that donates large sums of money to them is that they note it in the article or news story. And, again, thank the powers that be for Public broadcastings and Public Radios unwavering journalistic integrity over the past 20 years, they still pull no punches regardless of the size of donor.
"We'll take your money and we'll use it to do the news but that doesn't buy you fluff and nutter reporting when you or your company get up to shenanigan's." Is not what they say but it's good and damn well implied.
The only downside to this is that these are national news aggregates, NPR and PBS, which makes it difficult for local news to be disseminated in such a way as news papers slowly fade and local news fights for recognition as streaming and national sources start to interject.
NPR One though.
Yeah, I admit I'm a public broadcasting fanboy, but the model is solid.
Through the app you get all of the national news and podcasts and then select your local station to get the local broadcasts.
But funding.
Nationally they're pretty well funded because of the big donors and the local stations paying in to the kiddy to be able to broadcasts but getting the local news the funding it needs to shine lights is the issue that we need to work out.
But funding.
Nationally they're pretty well funded because of the big donors and the local stations paying in to the kiddy to be able to broadcasts but getting the local news the funding it needs to shine lights is the issue that we need to work out.
So...
I say, as I work on a tax restructuring plan to be proposed on a national, and then world, scale is this. Fund them, out of the taxes. Fully recognize them as the fourth estate in the government.
The Legislative Branch is responsible for writing laws
The Executive Branch is responsible for enacting laws
The Judicial for reviewing and Evaluating.
I say, as I work on a tax restructuring plan to be proposed on a national, and then world, scale is this. Fund them, out of the taxes. Fully recognize them as the fourth estate in the government.
The Legislative Branch is responsible for writing laws
The Executive Branch is responsible for enacting laws
The Judicial for reviewing and Evaluating.
The News and Media is, in modern democracy, already recognized as the "disseminators of the actions and information's of the other three.
Why not make it official.
Make sure they're funded, almost like a military branch.
Or exactly like a military branch.
Formally charged with the responsibility of investigating and consolidating issues, laws, and happenings with the highest standards of journalistic integrity and without the push and pull of political bandying.
CSPAN was a good start, cameras in the rooms where laws and things are being debated. But many people working and doing all of the things required of life can't keep up with everything that goes on.
So, tax subsidized Associated Press offices at a State Level and communities and counties with populations of 20,000 or more be assigned an Associated Press office with the responsibility of compiling a weekly, physical news paper of events to be delivered by mail.
Ahhh, the idea has merit and I think I've already written about this before
But the break down would work about like this.
$100,000 annual budget and 2 editor/reporters
per 20,000 citizens.
$100,000 annual budget and 2 editor/reporters
per 20,000 citizens.
So, roughly $5 a year per citizen in a community.
i.e. 100,000 citizens would be a $1,000,000 annual budget and 10 person staff and then they become, essentially a wing of the existing public broadcasting structure
Their task would be to curate
A daily news letter with local events and government meetings and public works projects
A weekly summery of the government actions and funding decisions.
A monthly report on community services, need to know contact and summery of those services, and available grant/scholarships/tax incentives/subsidies programs.
A weekly summery of the government actions and funding decisions.
A monthly report on community services, need to know contact and summery of those services, and available grant/scholarships/tax incentives/subsidies programs.
To be made available digitally through text that can be printed from the website.
Audio versions
And mailed to those that wish to opt in for a daily, weekly, or monthly paper.
Audio versions
And mailed to those that wish to opt in for a daily, weekly, or monthly paper.
All hiring, coordination, and supplemental historical articles for the paper managed by the Library of Congress and local historical societies.
It's a dream.
It's a dream.
But I like it.
A lot of this comes on the back of the pandemic.
Finding ways to get reliable information about the vaccines and emergency situations taking place.
Making sure there is a news source just reporting the facts as well as making sure that people have concrete information on what to do, where to go, and who to talk to when things like this are happening.
Finding ways to get reliable information about the vaccines and emergency situations taking place.
Making sure there is a news source just reporting the facts as well as making sure that people have concrete information on what to do, where to go, and who to talk to when things like this are happening.
Like I said, it's all part of a larger tax plan.
Shoot, let me be honest.
I'm trying to rebuild our nation from the ground up and find some way of balancing a capitalist free market with a government structure that will keep our basic infrastructure needs like emergency services, utilities, and communications on rock solid foundations.
Trying to work out the logistics of what a truly balanced employment and housing situations look like.
A nation that provides opportunity for those that can and will work for it while providing safety and security to those that can not.
A representative democracy where there is Truth and Justice for all.
A representative democracy where there is Truth and Justice for all.
We're getting there.
We're closer than we were when the nation was founded to get away from imperialism in 1776.
Closer than we were when Slavery was outlawed in 1865
We're closer than we were when the nation was founded to get away from imperialism in 1776.
Closer than we were when Slavery was outlawed in 1865
Closer than we were at the beginning of the civil rights era in 1964
So my question is, how close can we be by 2063?
How can we steer and shape our nation to more resemble the ideals it was founded on?
How can we steer and shape our nation to more resemble the ideals it was founded on?
