Connecticut Lawmaker Frank Nicastro's Proposal for Government Bailout of Local Newspapers Smacks of Socialism

The notion that the government should bail out just about every industry in the United States is unconscionable. I have yet to hear one bailout plan to help struggling homeowners and to stem the massive tide of unemployment slowly permeating this country. I was disgusted to learn that Connecticut lawmaker Frank Nicastro sees saving the local newspaper his responsibility. This will set a very worrisome precedent for the government to get involved with the press. Socialism comes to mind. Heck, even the dreaded communism comes to mind.

Nicastro represents Connecticut's 79th assembly district, which includes the city of Bristol. Its paper, The Bristol Press, reportedly may collapse within days, along with The Herald newspaper in New Britain. It seems that the parent company, Journal Register, is in serious jeopardy of folding due to millions of dollars debt and it says it just cannot afford to keep these papers open. So, enter Nicastro on his stallion, along with fellow lawmakers who want to the papers to survive and have petitioned the state government to step in. "The media is a vitally important part of America," he said, particularly local papers that cover news ignored by big papers and television and radio stations. Wait, doesn't this sound like a bailout?

This comes on the heels of the government's decision to literally throw billions away to the banks and to General Motors Corporation and Chrysler LLC. The broader issue with this latest proposal is that relying on government help raises significant ethical questions for the press, whose traditional role has been to operate free from government influence as it goes after politicians to hold them accountable to the people who elected them. You cannot have it both ways. It would definitely muddy the mission of the press in the grand scheme of things.

The lifeline comes as U.S. newspaper publishers such as the New York Times, Tribune and McClatchy deal with falling advertising revenue, fleeing readers and tremendous debt. Aggravating this extreme change is the world financial crisis. Publishers have slashed costs, often by firing thousands in a bid to remain healthy and to impress investors. Any aid to papers could gladden financial stakeholders, said Mike Simonton, an analyst at Fitch Ratings."If governments are able to provide enough incentives to get some potential bidders off the sidelines, that could be a positive for newspaper valuations," he said.

Many media experts predict that 2009 will be the year that newspapers of all sizes will falter and die, a threat long predicted but rarely taken seriously until the credit crunch blossomed into a full-fledged financial meltdown.Some papers no longer print daily, and some not at all. Even as industries deemed too important to fail are seeking bailouts, most newspaper publishers have refused to give serious thought to the idea, though some industry insiders recounted joking about it with other newspaper executives."The whole idea of the First Amendment and separating media and giving them freedom of control from the government is sacrosanct," said Digby Solomon, publisher of Tribune Co's Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia. Source: Reuters

The government does not have an obligation to preserve free press by bailing them out. Many have accused Barack Obama of being a socialist, but this proposal reeks of socialism at it worst. Sorry, taxpayer dollars are not to be thrown out to everyone with a cup. There are other incentives that can be offered to help these newspapers, but not for the government to offer a bailout. What about the taxpayers who are literally under water in their homes. I must say that 2009 will be a rather interesting year.

The residents of Bristol and surrounding areas should call Frank Nicastro's office and voice their disapproval for his proposal. His contact information is:

At the Capitol:
Legislative Office Building, Room 4061
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
(860) 240-8585
1-800-842-8267
Frank.Nicastro@cga.ct.gov

In the District:
80 Beleden Gardens Drive
Bristol, CT 06708
(860) 585-6070

Connecticut Lawmaker Frank Nicastro's Proposal for Government Bailout of Local Newspapers Smacks of Socialism

The notion that the government should bail out just about every industry in the United States is unconscionable. I have yet to hear one bailout plan to help struggling homeowners and to stem the massive tide of unemployment slowly permeating this country. I was disgusted to learn that Connecticut lawmaker Frank Nicastro sees saving the local newspaper his responsibility. This will set a very worrisome precedent for the government to get involved with the press. Socialism comes to mind. Heck, even the dreaded communism comes to mind.

Nicastro represents Connecticut's 79th assembly district, which includes the city of Bristol. Its paper, The Bristol Press, reportedly may collapse within days, along with The Herald newspaper in New Britain. It seems that the parent company, Journal Register, is in serious jeopardy of folding due to millions of dollars debt and it says it just cannot afford to keep these papers open. So, enter Nicastro on his stallion, along with fellow lawmakers who want to the papers to survive and have petitioned the state government to step in. "The media is a vitally important part of America," he said, particularly local papers that cover news ignored by big papers and television and radio stations. Wait, doesn't this sound like a bailout?

This comes on the heels of the government's decision to literally throw billions away to the banks and to General Motors Corporation and Chrysler LLC. The broader issue with this latest proposal is that relying on government help raises significant ethical questions for the press, whose traditional role has been to operate free from government influence as it goes after politicians to hold them accountable to the people who elected them. You cannot have it both ways. It would definitely muddy the mission of the press in the grand scheme of things.

The lifeline comes as U.S. newspaper publishers such as the New York Times, Tribune and McClatchy deal with falling advertising revenue, fleeing readers and tremendous debt. Aggravating this extreme change is the world financial crisis. Publishers have slashed costs, often by firing thousands in a bid to remain healthy and to impress investors. Any aid to papers could gladden financial stakeholders, said Mike Simonton, an analyst at Fitch Ratings."If governments are able to provide enough incentives to get some potential bidders off the sidelines, that could be a positive for newspaper valuations," he said.

Many media experts predict that 2009 will be the year that newspapers of all sizes will falter and die, a threat long predicted but rarely taken seriously until the credit crunch blossomed into a full-fledged financial meltdown.Some papers no longer print daily, and some not at all. Even as industries deemed too important to fail are seeking bailouts, most newspaper publishers have refused to give serious thought to the idea, though some industry insiders recounted joking about it with other newspaper executives."The whole idea of the First Amendment and separating media and giving them freedom of control from the government is sacrosanct," said Digby Solomon, publisher of Tribune Co's Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia. Source: Reuters

The government does not have an obligation to preserve free press by bailing them out. Many have accused Barack Obama of being a socialist, but this proposal reeks of socialism at it worst. Sorry, taxpayer dollars are not to be thrown out to everyone with a cup. There are other incentives that can be offered to help these newspapers, but not for the government to offer a bailout. What about the taxpayers who are literally under water in their homes. I must say that 2009 will be a rather interesting year.

The residents of Bristol and surrounding areas should call Frank Nicastro's office and voice their disapproval for his proposal. His contact information is:

At the Capitol:
Legislative Office Building, Room 4061
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
(860) 240-8585
1-800-842-8267
Frank.Nicastro@cga.ct.gov

In the District:
80 Beleden Gardens Drive
Bristol, CT 06708
(860) 585-6070

French Police Treatment of Journalist Vittorio de Filippis Sparks Outcry Worldwide

I have never practiced journalism in the true sense of the word, but I do have a degree in Journalism and I must, in the spirit of respect for the profession, share my thoughts on the recent strip search of a French journalist Vittorio de Filippis at the hands of the police. What the French police did to that man was a disgrace and a travesty. According to media reports,

The knocks on his door came at 6:40 a.m., recalled, when Paris was still dark and he was fast asleep. Three police officers -- a pair of men and a woman, all wearing armbands -- had come to take him in. By the time his ordeal ended five hours later, about 11:30 a.m. Friday, the journalist wrote, he had been manhandled, handcuffed, humiliated in front of his sons, twice forced to strip and submit to body cavity searches and interrogated without lawyers by an investigating magistrate -- all over a two-year-old libel case.

The treatment of Filippis, an executive and former editor-in-chief of the Paris newspaper Liberation, prompted an outcry Saturday from his colleagues, lawyers and other supporters, who said the tactics were out of place in a country with long and cherished traditions of rule of law and freedom of expression. The newspaper, considered by many as a reliably left-wing daily, got its start during the youth uprising of 1968. It seems that the police, who have wide latitude in handling suspects under French law, were a natural target for opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy's law-and-order approach to government.

"In 30 years, this is the first time I have heard of or seen such a thing," said Jean-Paul Levy, one of the newspaper's attorneys. "I am scandalized that this kind of treatment would be inflicted on him over an offense that is only punishable by a fine and not by prison."

According to the Washington Post, Reporters Without Borders, a media advocacy group, condemned what it called "coercive methods" and said they were a sign of "deterioration in press freedom in France." In a statement, the group said: "We are outraged by the unacceptable methods used against Vittorio de Filippis and their humiliating nature. Such a thing has never before been heard of in France. To treat a journalist like a criminal and resort to practices such as body searches is not only shocking but unworthy of French justice."

The investigating magistrate, Muriel Josie, refused requests from French journalists for an explanation of what happened. The police issued no formal comment. But Agence France-Presse, the country's main news agency, quoted anonymous police officials as saying that Filippis was hauled in because he had not responded to mailed summons and received rough treatment because he talked back to the "irreproachable" officers who had come to his door.

Filippis, in a detailed account published Saturday by Liberation, said Josie questioned him about a lawsuit brought against the newspaper last year. The suit concerned an opinion article contributed by an Internet commentator and published by Liberation's Web site that described past legal troubles of Xavier Niel, founder of a French Internet access company called Free.

What happened to this man is a disgrace and should not be tolerated anywhere. We have had situations in the United States where the cops have used excessive force against private citizens and some have been punished, others have walked away with a slap on the wrist. This should not be tolerated under any circumstance. The problem, however, is the fact that the leaders of the country tolerate such behavior.

To read more, CLICK HERE....

French Police Treatment of Journalist Vittorio de Filippis Sparks Outcry Worldwide

I have never practiced journalism in the true sense of the word, but I do have a degree in Journalism and I must, in the spirit of respect for the profession, share my thoughts on the recent strip search of a French journalist Vittorio de Filippis at the hands of the police. What the French police did to that man was a disgrace and a travesty. According to media reports,

The knocks on his door came at 6:40 a.m., recalled, when Paris was still dark and he was fast asleep. Three police officers -- a pair of men and a woman, all wearing armbands -- had come to take him in. By the time his ordeal ended five hours later, about 11:30 a.m. Friday, the journalist wrote, he had been manhandled, handcuffed, humiliated in front of his sons, twice forced to strip and submit to body cavity searches and interrogated without lawyers by an investigating magistrate -- all over a two-year-old libel case.

The treatment of Filippis, an executive and former editor-in-chief of the Paris newspaper Liberation, prompted an outcry Saturday from his colleagues, lawyers and other supporters, who said the tactics were out of place in a country with long and cherished traditions of rule of law and freedom of expression. The newspaper, considered by many as a reliably left-wing daily, got its start during the youth uprising of 1968. It seems that the police, who have wide latitude in handling suspects under French law, were a natural target for opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy's law-and-order approach to government.

"In 30 years, this is the first time I have heard of or seen such a thing," said Jean-Paul Levy, one of the newspaper's attorneys. "I am scandalized that this kind of treatment would be inflicted on him over an offense that is only punishable by a fine and not by prison."

According to the Washington Post, Reporters Without Borders, a media advocacy group, condemned what it called "coercive methods" and said they were a sign of "deterioration in press freedom in France." In a statement, the group said: "We are outraged by the unacceptable methods used against Vittorio de Filippis and their humiliating nature. Such a thing has never before been heard of in France. To treat a journalist like a criminal and resort to practices such as body searches is not only shocking but unworthy of French justice."

The investigating magistrate, Muriel Josie, refused requests from French journalists for an explanation of what happened. The police issued no formal comment. But Agence France-Presse, the country's main news agency, quoted anonymous police officials as saying that Filippis was hauled in because he had not responded to mailed summons and received rough treatment because he talked back to the "irreproachable" officers who had come to his door.

Filippis, in a detailed account published Saturday by Liberation, said Josie questioned him about a lawsuit brought against the newspaper last year. The suit concerned an opinion article contributed by an Internet commentator and published by Liberation's Web site that described past legal troubles of Xavier Niel, founder of a French Internet access company called Free.

What happened to this man is a disgrace and should not be tolerated anywhere. We have had situations in the United States where the cops have used excessive force against private citizens and some have been punished, others have walked away with a slap on the wrist. This should not be tolerated under any circumstance. The problem, however, is the fact that the leaders of the country tolerate such behavior.

To read more, CLICK HERE....