Comments on: Bay State Banter

By: Hang the Banner!

Hang the Banner! — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:49:55 +0000

[...] corner with cup in hand raising the funds and rallying Boston’s Black community behind them? As media-blogger, John Carroll, [...]

By: CPBgone « Campaign Outsider

CPBgone « Campaign Outsider — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:11:30 +0000

[...] Posted July 20, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bay State Banner, CPB, PBS | My recent post about the Bay State Banner’s accepting a City of Boston bailout (a certified [...]

By: jcarroll7

jcarroll7 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:00:28 +0000

Thanks for the question, Aaron. Actually, CPB funding of WBUR does trouble me, as does CPB funding of PBS stations. I’ll elaborate in a post.

By: Aaron Read

Aaron Read — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:07:34 +0000

“A news media outlet cannot be the “watchdog” over government when it is dependent on government officials to take it out for a walk.”

That presupposes that any of these media outlets are truly in a watchdog role anymore. I would say there has not been a true watchdog over government for at least a decade, arguably not since the early 1980’s.

And if this loan troubles you, why does CPB-funded WBUR not trouble you?

By: sheldon toplitt

sheldon toplitt — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:58:19 +0000

However well-intentioned, the appearance of a cozy arrangement between a government entity and a news media outlet is troubling. Mayor Menino’s relations with Boston’s black community have not always been smooth, and political cynics might suggest that the Banner bailout could bolster Menino’s profile among African-Americans and offset any potential loss of voters in the Asian community who might favor mayoral candidate and city councilor Sam Yoon.

In May 2009, The Carrboro Citizen, in Chapel Hill, NC, asked municipal officials for a loan to stay afloat. The same issues apply to the Banner case. A news media outlet cannot be the “watchdog” over government when it is dependent on government officials to take it out for a walk. Any Banner editorial supporting a position taken by Menino, fairly or unfairly, might be perceived as “payback.”

Moreover, Boston and Massachusetts revenues are woefully below previous estimates, so helping the Banner and other worthy private enterprises should take a backseat to more pressing needs that affect Bostonians, such as health care, runaway foreclosures, and the homeless.