Quality news and information is the lifeblood of democracy and a public good. And just like democracy, only the people who cherish journalism can save it.
In a moment of despair and clarity, climate scientist and Penn State professor Michael Mann yesterday declared his belief that "corporate ownership of the media has now become fundamentally incompatible with democracy."
It’s a dramatic statement, yet we can’t help but agree.
Traditional news outlets have been bought by a tiny handful of corporations or gobbled up individually by billionaire oligarchs. Far-right outlets like Fox News are essentially the state media for a neo-fascist Republican Party. And the Tech Giants will not save us—they're too busy amassing enormous profits by vacuuming up your private data and consumer habits.
No wonder trust in the news media has cratered to an all-time low.
Quality news and information is the lifeblood of democracy and a public good. And just like democracy, only the people who cherish independent journalism can save it.
