The Expansion of Taxpayer-Subsidized “Journalism” It’s not just NPR or PBS. by Daniel Greenfield
https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-expansion-of-taxpayer-subsidized-journalism/
One of the things I spent the last ten years warning about was that the leftist propaganda messaging system we call the media was…
1. Failing economically
2. Transitioning to nonprofit and otherwise government-subsidized status
… at some point, other conservatives will realize what’s going on when it becomes obvious enough, but for now it’s an issue that virtually nobody is paying attention to even as Republican Senate and House members continue to sponsor bills providing special tax benefits to local media outlets.
New York however is the first state in the nation to make it official.
The state budget, set to be finalized Saturday, includes the nation’s first payroll tax credit for local news organizations in a bid to encourage new hiring amid the ongoing struggles of journalism outlets to cover their communities.
“A thriving local news industry is vital to the health of our democracy,” bill sponsor Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat, said in a statement. “It’s our responsibility to help ensure New Yorkers have access to independent and community-focused journalism.”
There’s virtually no such thing as independent journalism anymore and when Democrats say “protecting democracy”, they mean promoting party propaganda while smearing political opponents.
It’s understandable why Democrats would want to put party propagandists on the public payroll. Once again though small businesses, struggling to stay afloat, are being betrayed by politicians stealing money to fund their own election messaging.
The late addition to the $237 billion budget allows eligible outlets to receive a 50 percent refundable credit for the first $50,000 of a journalist’s salary, up to a total of $300,000 per outlet.
That’s the first bite at the apple. Expect many more.
The money is largely focused on independently owned publications, but also can cover hiring journalists in print media outlets that “demonstrate a reduction in circulation or in the number of full-time equivalent employees of at least 20 percent over the previous five years.”
That’s the entire media.
The media is failing and its party is rushing to bail it out with public money. It’s not just NPR or PBS or Voice of America, eventually it’ll be the entire media.
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