This would be the end of our Republic...period.

Newspapers DEPENDANT on the government for their very existence could, of course, NOT be critical of the government.

Surely even the Left sees the danger of this?

The New Pravda Times...read all about it...

A point to ponder: GM's market share has fallen after the government bailout, Ford's market share has increased. Yeah, lets do that for newspapers.

Maybe the papers could recycle old British news; seems to work for PBS. You do have your tote-bag don't you?

Obama is a Liar.

Not just NO but HELL NO!! This is reminding me more of Venezuela...Chavez has control of all but one TV station and they are just barely hanging on and I think has control of all other news media. I may be wrong, I will have to do some more homework. But I'm right about the TV stations.

I would be happy too if all he did was just look at these bills. However, he is such a liar that I am afraid he would be tempted to actually sign one of them in a weak moment.

With this nonsense, add Obamacare, the amnesty, the cutting of nukes just means that this presidency is dead and buried. Americans are not going to stand for illegal aliens Amnesty and thethe reduction of nukes. If he and Dims go ahead...it will mean his massive defeat in 2012 and quite possibily the end of the DimoRat party.

"Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge," Mr. Obama said. "But it's something that I think is absolutely critical to the health of our democracy."

BAHAHAHAHAHA

Did he really say this with a straight face? I mean these are bigger lies than his health care debacle.

Maybe the papers could recycle old British news; seems to work for PBS. You do have your tote-bag don't you?

Not only does PBS recycle old British news, they even import British tv shows. They don't have the intelligence there to produce their own shows. I guess American crime shows are just okay on the networks, but not on PBS. Oh yeah, I forgot, American crime shows show the cops carrying and using firearms, a practice strictly verboten in the UK. Can't have that polluting the young skulls full of mush.

This won't fly with anyone but the hardcore lefties.

Why are these people so unafraid of any consequences for any of their actions?

I think it is time for a Republican member of the House to call for the impeachment of Obama. Of course it will not go any where but it will perhaps serve as a wake up call to this clown that he has until the House and Senate change hands (as they very well could do in 2010) to begin to clean up his act or he will be held accountable. Also one of the Republican leaders in the Congress needs to let it be known in no uncertain terms that all of the malfesance and corruption associated with the Obama administration will be inestigated and prosecuted once the House changes hands.

"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,"

Isnt' that what we're getting from the MSM right now, which has resulted in "people shouting at each other across the void"? Another stellar observation from the Hypocrite in Chief.

So Barry will end up with the financial industry, car makers, bankers, health care, student education funds, energy industry, AND newspapers.

That new national flag going to have a hammer and sickle mounted behind the big "O"?

I would be the first amendment would be shocked. I don't think it says government run news, nor does the Constitution say government run healthcare.

But what is clear is, the joker lies, repeatedly.

Real journalism is dead, which is why the newspaper industry is going out of business. Instead the blogosphere and talk radio are doing all the real reporting.

I know! One can rely solely on Wizbang and Kim's crack reporting at this point. Sterling reputation.

What can we expect if gov. starts subsidizing the newspapers?

Here are some quick guesses.

They say the papers will be allowed to reorganize as non-profits and escape some taxes.

But newspapers can already become non-profits. All that is needed is to give your newspaper corporation away. The downside is the paper's owners lose any hope of reviving the newspaper and making money again.

So the non-profit talk is chatter to cover up something. And that something is almost certainly a bailout for newspaper owners. The government pays them generously for their money-losing, almost worthless newspaper.

Sweet.

The government will have a big say in who is appointed to run the non-profit. And that means government indirectly controls the paper. We can expect a Print Media Czar.

Now look at the paper itself. Nothing has really changed. Everyone is still working and the government has injected money to keep them going for at least a while.

The paper is now in a situation very analogous to that of a PBS affiliated station. And we can expect it to behave much as a PBS station does.

But remember I am just guessing. Matters may be handled much differently.

BHO use of another Plank

We demand laws to fight against deliberate political lies and their dissemination
by the press. In order to make it possible to create a Free press, we demand:

a) all editors and editorial employees of newspapers appearing in the American
language must be Democrat by party;

b) DNC newspapers require express permission from the State for
their publication.

c) any financial participation in a DNC newspaper or influence on such a
paper is to be forbidden by law to non-DNC and the penalty for any
breech of this law will be the closing of the newspaper in question, as well
as the immediate expulsion from the Reich of the non-Germans involved.
Newspapers which violate the public interest are to be banned. We
demand laws against trends in art and literature which have a destructive
effect on our national life, and the suppression of performances that offend
against the above requirements.

It will be a cost to the tax payer. But I do not see how a change in the business organization will change the public's image of what their local and/or national "newspaper" really represents. We all know the only things we can rely on (TV network or newspaper) are the ad inserts (& maybe the sports & weather). Even here in left coast San Francisco, you will find a pathetic lonely "newsman" trying to give away copies of the San Francisco Examiner outside our local Costco. Mostly nobody wants it because it has lost all credibility. If BHO [pronounce it "boo hoo"] forces the change, so what? It will just be welfare for liars - oops, I mean journalists.

OOPS-in the prior post by bkhjgh, that should be the San Franciosco CHRONICLE, NOT the Examiner.

It is easy to work if you have the media under your 'influence'.You bail out the newspapers,they bail you out in return and both of them become each others favorites.
Tax payers are there to pay taxes and their tax money is there to make wars,foreign aids,unproductive bail outs and then at the end of the day say that "we need more taxes".This vicious circle has to be curtailed.How much can an average American take? Enough of such state sponsored bailouts.Why don't they bail out small businesses,production houses,encourage new entrepreneurs etc.Is our money or are we not worth it?

Jzs, ppl r s ^%&# blndd b r ht cn't s strght. f thnk blgs r th ftr f nws nd r dng th nl rgnl rprtng t thr 'r frggn' mngld (wll... tk tht bck, mst f r lrd mnglds f blv tht r nt). hp sshls kp ths p, bcs t nl mks r cs strngr tht dts hv nthng t s nd vn lss t cntrbt.
I can't hear you, can you hear me now?

Larry, you spend too much time at Media Matters.

Summarizing the content of your comment, "^%&#... blind...hate...friggin' mongoloid...most of you...mongoloids...assholes...our case...you idiots...nothing to say...less to contribute...".

I think I did that accurately. I used the New York Times stylebook as a guide.

Larry,

Granted, the blogger who commented on this piece is probably a bit biased being a blogger and all. But when was the last time you actually picked up a newspaper for the news and not the comics or the coupons?

Why should the taxpayers pay for a private paper to stay alive, these news outlets are too big then they need to die or be reborn as something smaller. We bailed out GM and Chrysler and guess what, they still went bankrupt! What makes you think the papers will be any different?

Forget the comments about the future of news, just from a financial standpoint we as a people cannot afford to bail out anyone else. Banks, Cars, Newspapers, Tire Manufacturers; Anyone!

I bet you frequent DKOS or DU more than you read the news from the actual websites or read a paper like the NYT or WAPO. Your a hypocrite.

It's Quid-pro-quo, as plain as The Nose On Your Face

jp2 can always be counted on for a laugh!

"I know! One can rely solely on Wizbang and Kim's crack reporting at this point. Sterling reputation."

Don't start what you can't finish jp2. We start getting into just the 'reputation' of the Old Grey Whore you'll be cleaning the mess up all day. Throw in a couple others and you'll be here the rest of the month.

15 hcddbz - if you're going to comment, can you please make sense. I've a feeling it was meant to be sarcasm - if so, you missed it by a mile.

GF,

I have always maintained that you take the Planks of the Nazi party and you have the plank of most progressives. The danger as i see it is that often evil comes in with a good intentions.

Socialist and Fascist like control.

1. Control of the Press
2. Control of Schools
3. Control of health care
4. Gun control
5 Control of private property that why profits are bad

etc.
I left the last part of the 22 Plank of the Nazi Part unchanged so people could see where it came from.
Anyone think that they will not be DNC controlled? Look at FM/FM

The reason it's a very bad idea for government to put money into newspapers can be summarized in a single sentence:

"He who pays the piper, picks the tune".

"Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge," Mr. Obama said. "But it's something that I think is absolutely critical to the health of our democracy."

that was what? Journalistic integrity?

I vote for fraud and media hackery, how about you?