In this assignment you will write a essay if 250-300 words that weighs a contemporary issue relating to the medium that has centered of our study of mass communication history.
When the US faced economic disruptions from the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Congress conducted the first-ever comprehensive fact-finding on business sectors in need of government bailouts. Among the first to appear before Congress and ask for public money were representatives of the newspaper industry. Newspapers asked for amounts said to have been upwards of $15 billion. They provided evidence showing that 75 percent of newspaper advertising has been lost to social media providers including Facebook and Google, that without government support newspapers will close, and that the public’s news and information is threatened.
Congress was attentive. While Congress did not include newspapers in stimulus funding directly tied to COVID, several members of Congress introduced separate legislation that would enable government support of daily-published newspapers that regularly provide local news to communities. If approved, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would free newspapers from costly anti-trust compliance in order form a government-sponsored cartel that would increase newspaper advertising income. Another proposal, the Saving Local News Act, would allow newspapers to become non-profit organizations and thus eliminate their obligations to pay taxes.
As we’ve studied, newspapers ceaselessly have fought for their independence from government. Now, a watershed shift abounding in ramifications is proposed. In your essay, please write on and address a timely and straight-forward question: What are the pros and cons of government support of newspapers?
You will be graded on your attentiveness to both sides of the question, your inclusion of key pro-and-con points, the persuasiveness of your arguments, and the quality of your composition. You do not need to take a position. I’m more interested in your understanding of the total issue. But if you’d like to take a position, feel free to do so.
