Spot-on, Dick. And, the only way to stay in front of potential conspiratorial framing is to get out in front of it from the start. The diehard conspiracy theorists will conspiratize anyway, but you may still stop others.
This is precisely on point. The transition to nonprofit ownership brings these newspapers closer to the role they serve in the community—as a public trust—but to really earning the public's trust in that role requires the combination of full transparency, public accountability (through a diverse board of community stakeholders), and a structure and practice of editorial independence. For these news outlets to retain their readers and win new ones, I don't see a shortcut.
I don't believe that the public should have trust in press funded by either Soros money or Wyss money. Were the publications truly objective there would be no need to hide donor information.
Spot-on, Dick. And, the only way to stay in front of potential conspiratorial framing is to get out in front of it from the start. The diehard conspiracy theorists will conspiratize anyway, but you may still stop others.
This is precisely on point. The transition to nonprofit ownership brings these newspapers closer to the role they serve in the community—as a public trust—but to really earning the public's trust in that role requires the combination of full transparency, public accountability (through a diverse board of community stakeholders), and a structure and practice of editorial independence. For these news outlets to retain their readers and win new ones, I don't see a shortcut.
Always something important that broadens our understanding of the new business.
Thanks for the considered and informative take on this. You answered many of the questions I had following the Semafor article.
I don't believe that the public should have trust in press funded by either Soros money or Wyss money. Were the publications truly objective there would be no need to hide donor information.
Quite an interesting time for funding and philanthropy in journalism!
Indeed; when the Texas Trib canned several editorial staff a few weeks ago, they hired new development and marketing staff.