It all sounds so innocent and good-governmenty: The Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop Dec. 1 and 2 concerning “How will journalism survive the Internet age?” An assembly of editors, owners, government officials, consumer advocates, advertisers and others is scheduled to discuss a dozen topics. Three ought to make the hair stand up on the necks of every journalist and anybody else who cares about the survival of freedom of the press:
» Are new or changed government policies needed to support optimal amounts and types of journalism, including public affairs coverage?
» Should the tax code be modified to provide special status or tax breaks to all or certain types of news organizations?
» Should the federal government provide additional funding for news organizations?
The short answer to all three of these seemingly innocuous questions posed by federal regulators is: No and Hell No! The longer answer is no less simple: There is nothing in the Constitution — zero, nada — that authorizes government to fund private news organizations, to choose “certain types of news organizations” for special tax favors, or to define what are “optimal amounts and types of journalism,” most especially not including “public affairs coverage.”
People in journalism had better wake up now before this funeral train for press freedom leaves the station: There is no such thing as government support without government control. Period. Thus, the First Amendment’s proscription of any law by Congress “respecting the freedom of the press” renders unconstitutional the very idea of the FTC even considering such a topic.
No self-respecting journalists should lend their endorsement to this workshop, and neither should any professional journalism organization. But it won’t be enough just to boycott it; they must also condemn this event as loudly as possible and publish the facts about who proposed it and why. Journalists are kidding only themselves if they think the government will merely provide an innocent helping hand without becoming the controlling hand.
The issues to be discussed at the FTC workshop weren’t chosen at random; somebody there has been thinking about this topic for some time. It probably took him about three seconds to realize the government will first have to define what kind of journalism “deserves” federal support.
Beyond that threshold question, there is nothing good for independent journalism. You cannot live by bribing the alligator to eat you last.
