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from Media Savvy
More likely, the time is right to consider running the newspaper as a
nonprofit enterprise which is, quite possibly, the wave of the future.
The philosophy of the nonprofit structure is to be of service to the
people, which is directly in line with the true purpose of a newspaper.
In-depth reporting, such as the type of investigative pieces we find
less and less in corporate-owned media, could be nurtured and funded
through a foundation within the nonprofit. While the nonprofit concept
may seem unusual, it’s worked with great success on the other side of
the pond, with the BBC and The Guardian, for example. Here, we have
quite a few, including C-SPAN, the Christian Science Monitor, and the
local paper, The Day, in New London, Conn. operating under the
nonprofit structure. Even more intriguing: Since 1848, the Associated
Press has existed as a cooperative venture funded by the fees of its
members. In a way, it operates much like a credit union, with its
members owning a part of the company. In fact, if the people of Long
Island simply tossed together what they spend for their daily cup of
Starbucks, you’d have a newspaper startup funded by the community. In
return, the newspaper could focus on taking care of the community and
reinvest the profit into the newspaper. That hasn’t happened here in a
very long time.
The opportunity to reclaim a vital component of Long Island life is here. Isn’t anybody listening?
Filed under: Long Island Politics, media, More Events Calendars, New York State Politics, News, Nonprofit Orgs
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