Should taxpayers save journalism?

Via journalism.co.uk comes this story on an American study which concludes that the crisis facing journalism requires the government step in.

Wired says:

The news media has a bad case of going-out-of-business blues, what with classified ads decamped to Craigslist, readers ditching print subscriptions for the web and falling (though often still healthy) profit margins leading to massive newsroom cuts.

In fact, the internet may have been so successful at out newsing newspapers that soon large U.S. cities may not have a daily paper, at least not one printed on dead trees.

Now, Free Press, an advocacy group created to fight media consolidation, thinks the internet and profit-focused media consolidation has dealt enough of a blow to journalism that the government needs a National Journalism Strategy

You can get a copy of the report from the Free Press website.

Personally, in the current climate, I can't see taxpayers swallowing this even if I do think that the media deserve a bail out more than the banks do. And we have a much stronger public service broadcasting ethos already (we already fund the BBC).

Not only that, but has every MP is in the middle of being given the kicking of their life by the media I would suggest now is not the time to go cap in hand.

Having said all that, there is an information deficit in many parts of the country as the traditional media retreat. New media is filling some of the gap but not all (don't see many bloggers at magistrates courts) and you still need the skills to access their product.

It's not overstating it to say that this information deficit will lead to a democratic deficit - and that's where we would expect government to play a part/stick its oar in (delete as per your political preference).