Posted on 01/28/2009 2:02:05 PM PST by lewisglad
We all wondered if it would happen. NB readers said it would very soon. NB author Tom Blumer even predicted this would be the year for it. Now the largest newspaper in Philadelphia is requesting a bailout.
In a perfectly ironic fashion it took a lawsuit for the public to learn that the Philadelphia Inquirer is seeking $10 million dollars from the state of Pennsylvania. The bailout request was revealed after the school filed suit against the paper for a series of articles questioning the school’s use of government funds.
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Now, according to an interview between the Philadelphia Bulletin and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's press secretary, there is little doubt that the Philadelphia Inquirer is indeed requesting a $10 million bailout. The request comes at a time of great financial trouble for the owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Media Holdings. The company has been missing its debt payments since June and is in "technical default" according to the Bulletin.
Here's what Chuck Ardo, Rendell's press secretary, had to say about the proposed bailout:
The Bulletin: It has been reported that Inquirer publisher Brian Tierney has approached Gov. Rendell for a $10 million bailout for the newspaper.
Did that conversation take place?
Chuck Ardo: The governor and Brian Tierney have had a number of conversations over the course of the last several months. The governor has made no commitment as a result of those conversations.
TB: Is the bailout something that is still on the table?
CA: He would certainly be open to discussions with Brian, but we need to look at the situation that we are in economically and financially, and I think any discussions have to be seen through that prism.
Judging from that exchange it seems quite likely that this newspaper bailout will become reality. The fact that Chuck Ardo confirmed that the governor could grant the bailout without consent from the legislature leaves little chance that the Inquirer won't get the $10 million it wants:
TB: Would that require legislative approval, or would it come from the executive branch?
CA: There are ways that the executive branch can do this without need for legislative action.
Of course while this would be the largest newspaper bailout yet and the first where cash went directly from the government to the paper it isn't the first time newspapers have wanted help from the state. Tom Blumer's article that I eluded to earlier chronicles the efforts of Connecticut newspapers to procure themselves a bailout. But this potential government bailout of the very entity charged as its watchdog raises still some very obvious and very serious questions:
TB: It’s one thing when the government becomes involved in car companies and banks, but how do you think the public would react to a media company seeking and receiving government bailout money from Gov. Rendell? Can it truly be viewed as objective and unbiased in its political reporting?
CA: The entire concept of a democracy depends on an informed public. Newspapers are a critical source of information, so there is a fundamental need for newspapers to continue to provide that information to the public. Now whether that information rises to the level of triggering help from the commonwealth, is something we’ll have to wait for the future to unfold.
I don't know about you but it didn't seem to me that Mr. Ardo answered the Bulletin's question. I mean, sure, people need to be informed in a democracy but they also need to be fully informed. And if the government is paying your salary can you truly remain objective in your coverage of that government? How can a media company who has to worry about obtaining government money to stay afloat be nearly as critical as one who doesn't? And if the media outlet is providing subjective and biased information as a result of a bailout how much better is that than if it were providing no information at all?
Take the editorial in today's Inquirer that calls for frugal spending and keen oversight of the federal bailouts for example. The piece rails against "earmarking funds for dubious pet projects" as well as proding the federal government to "ensure that the taxpayers get the best bang for their bailout bucks". Will the Inquirer be equally inclinded to question the frugality, intellegence, and legitimacy behind Pennsylvania's bailouts now that it is next in line to recieve one?
Media bailout = Step 1 in the new and improved Fairness Doctrine....
Citibank can’t buy a jet = bailed out papers can’t run Ann Coulter’s column
Our local fishwrap is actually growing circulation because it makes an attempt to balance editorial policy.
Dateline 1879 - Congress passes bailout for candle makers, who are suffering losses due to the light bulb....
Why bail out the papers? People still get news, just not from the papers.
gnip...
Also, this was only revealed because of a lawsuit. Wonder how much positive coverage is going on when the guv is possibly going to give you $10,000,000? Wonder how many times it's happened before?
BTW, to those wondering why Bambi got press that was beyond positive, in addition to the news media supporting him, you know all those ads he ran in Texas, where he was never going to win? In a time when media outlets are taking it up the wazoo over falling ad buys? He wasn't buying ads, he was buying news organizations.
Philadelphia BORING Inquirer
Surprised this BORING rag didn’t
submerge years ago. Its about as
exciting as the Periodic Chart!
Mason Dixon
No, not even close. It figures that a Dem governor is the one to do this since they are simply taking care of a party organ. Get ready for more of this cr*p.
Does this mean that now, after receiving money to keep their jobs from a specific political entity, the writers Polin and Rubin will be more realistic and balanced in their output?
I am from Philadelphia. The paper is down because of its content. It has made many bad business decisions and, like all other responsible businesses, they should reap the rewards of what they spew out or change their content.
If that rag gets tax payer funds for a bailout then they must stop with the liberal crap that they print every day. If they reported the news instead of telling people what to think, they would not need a bail out. Let them go down the tubes. We have the Bulletin for good news and reporting.
I got the Phil. Inq at my door for years. I stopped the paper long ago. They are in the tank for Democrats. No matter who the Democrats run for office in Philly they endorse them. The city is in trouble. Crime, murder and bad schools do not matter when they back a candidate. This paper caters to liberal Democrats. Let them support the paper and read the stupid editorials. The cost to advertise for our business is through the roof. No thanks
>The bailout request was revealed after the school filed suit against the paper ...
What school. What lawsuit?
To anyone who has observed the Inquirer over the past 30 years, it is hard over Democrap left. Objective, my ass! We ought to flush this stinking turd right away.
I went to college in Philly, used to walk past the Bulletin building on occasion.
If you bought the Sunday stinky Inky in the city there were almost no ads included, just black and white sections.
Go a few miles out into the burbs and the same paper was almost twice as large and full of ads. Translation: we don’t advertise in poor areas.
The Sunday sales were what killed the original Bulletin. The Bulletin had better weekday sales but lost the Sunday battle, that’s where the money was.
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