What we’re reading: a Marshall plan for local journalism

Knight Commission diagnoses problem well, recommendations could go even further

Last week, when the Knight Commission on Trust Media and Democracy released its final report and recommendations, Michael Posner of New York University’s made a provocative argument in Forbes: “While the Commission’s report diagnoses this problem well, its recommendations do not go far enough.” Writes Posner:

What is needed is a domestic Marshall Plan for journalism, in which substantial new resources are invested to save traditional newspapers and journalism. This would need to be a bold major initiative on a scale resembling the plan to rebuild post World War II European economies. The acquisition of the Washington Post by Jeff Bezos provides one useful template. Another model is the recent three-year $300 million contribution from Facebook to support local media. But investments like these need to be strategically coordinated, not episodic. To address the core challenge posed by the Knight Commission report, Bezos and the other top 25 billionaires in our country, along with the largest media and tech firms, need to come together and make a common pledge to provide whatever resources are needed, especially to save local journalism….

The Knight Commission’s report is urgent and timely, and the challenges it presents require immediate attention. We are living in a time of great technological upheaval, one that presents huge challenges but also real opportunities.In the years after Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, his contemporaries struggled to adapt to this new technology. Alberto Ibarguen, the president of the Knight Foundation, observes that today we are living in another “Gutenberg moment.” He concludes hopefully that “because we’re just at the beginning of the tech revolution, it’s not too late.” But as he also makes clear, we must exercise our collective will to “shape the future we want.” The adoption of a domestic Marshall Plan to preserve local news would be a momentous act, one that would truly shape the future of our democracy.”

Read the full piece here at Forbes.