In two Econlog posts (“Reduced Press Freedom in Canada”, August 24, 2021, “Reduced Press Freedom in Canada, Part 2”, December 14, 2021), I documented the fact that Justin Trudeau’s federal government will subsidize journalism. This is an attack on freedom of the press. As I wrote in an article on this same issue in 1971, freedom of the press does not guarantee that the media subs will subsidize your reporting more than guarantees the larynx where freedom of speech works. When the government subsidizes the press, it must choose who to grant. In principle, it is the same as collecting special taxes on other members of the press.
As mentioned in a post on December 14, 2021, the person who received the grant needed only one client, the politician responsible for the program.
I recently learned that California’s government, Gavin Newsom, has launched a similar program to subsidize California journalism. That’s bad news. This is good news. With the California government facing a $12 billion budget deficit, Newsom is a proposal to cut state subsidies to the California Newsroom from around $30 million to $10 million. It’s not a cut angou, but it’s a step in the right direction.
