COMING SOON TO A NEWSTAND NEAR YOU?

THE GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED NEWSPAPER?

A new Senate bill that would give government funding to struggling newspapers could result in complete state control of the press, critics say.

Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland proposed a bill this week that would allow newspapers to operate as tax-exempt nonprofits in order to keep the sinking industry afloat.
The government funding could make participating papers less likely to criticize the administration in power - a problem for a democracy that's founded on the freedom of the press, those who oppose the bill say.

"It would de-claw participating newspapers, which couldn't endorse candidates or freely question the party in power," Ken McIntyre, a media and public policy fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Fox News.

"Reporters and editors are supposed to be wary skeptics of politicians and bureaucrats on behalf of readers -- not beholden to the government's favor," he said.

The new legislation would prohibit the papers from making official endorsements of any political candidates. This could cause a problem for the outlets' editorial pages, which frequently make explicit reference to which candidate or cause the paper supports.

- NBC San Diego