Maureen Cavanaugh : At the start of the American experiment, the founders believed an educated citizenry and a free press were essential to a working democracy. Despite tight budgets, the government still takes on the burden of providing for an educated citizenry by funding public schools. But, when it comes to a free press, America is apparently on its own and must look to the free market to fund reporting and news gathering.
Media critic and author Robert McChesney says we are now seeing that model of paying for the news collapsing. And in an article in the April issue of "The Nation," McChesney and co-author John Nicols suggest its time for government intervention, not in deciding the substance of the news, but in helping to pay for it.
Guests
- Robert McChesney , professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois and a founder of Free Press, the media reform network.
-
Barbara Bry
, co-founder of
San Diego News Network
, a brand-new web-based local news service.
