First it was the Federal Trade Commission with its December seminar on “How will journalism survive the Internet age?” Now, along comes the Federal Communications Commission with a new Web site and associated activities organized around the theme of “The future of media and the information needs of communities in a digital age.”

The focus of both agencies’ initiatives is what government can do to “help” traditional print and broadcast media compete in the Internet era. Thus, it’s federal bureaucrats’ bid to see who will regulate what’s reported about government and how. After 220 years of freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment, America’s independent press could be about to get an offer somebody thinks it can’t refuse.