The House Ways and Means Committee has voted to bail out the legacy media with your tax dollars. If the White House and its congressional allies get their way, they will.
Somehow, Congress' latest spending proposal threatens to worsen the right's perception of the news media.
Between other progressive goodies, a previously overlooked proposal would provide print and digital publishers with a tax credit of up to $50,000 for each journalist on their payroll. The “Payroll Credit for Compensation of Local News Journalists” would cap at 50% of said employees' salaries in the first year. Afterward, it would drop to 30%.
SEE ALSO: How Biden's Tax Plan Will Hurt Ordinary Americans
Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette paints a stark picture of the consequences of a rapid expansion in state-funded media. It's not hard to imagine the response if tax dollars begin subsidizing controversial journalists. Only Congress could think subsidizing mass media would restore our faith in the institution.
Guillette adds:
This isn't the first time progressives have tried to redistribute your tax dollars to their allies in the media.
A dedicated media bailout was initially proposed at the onset of the pandemic. First, news outlets lobbied Congress for a dedicated bailout. This was in addition to Payroll Protection Program cash that many local newspapers took advantage of.
The Seattle Times happily grabbed $9.9 million. The Tampa Bay Times, a hard-left newspaper, bagged $8.5 million. Many other newspapers did the same.
When this dedicated bailout failed to catch steam, their next proposal was to modify Payroll Protection Program rules so that large conglomerates like McClatchy would be allowed to qualify. Gannett deserves credit for opposing both efforts, and it wasn't alone.
Instead of having consumers pick winners and losers, journalistic organizations, associations and publishers want public assistance to ensure their survival.
With examples of the media controlling the narrative fresh in the minds of millions of Americans, congressional Republicans desperate to find support for their opposition to Biden's $3.5 trillion bill may have found the talking point they needed. (RELATED: Outlet Belatedly Decides Media Should Reassess Hunter Biden Laptop Story)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
