Congress considers helping newspapers
Hopefully, hospital will be more transparent in future
The Front Page
Afternoon Update
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
By Ken Tingley
There may be help on the way for local newspapers.
For small community newspapers all across the country, their business model remain broken. As retail shopping retreats, so does advertising in local newspapers. For decades, advertising revenue paid the bills at local newspapers. Without that advertising revenue and with more and more people getting their news digitally on mobile devices, newspapers have had to cut staff and reduce coverage.
“The whole situation is a disaster and a tragedy,” wrote Margaret Sullivan in The Washington Post this week.
But amazingly, Congress seems to be rallying around the “Local Journalism Sustainability Act” that could be part of the huge spending bill that Congress is trying to pass.
The proposal would provide tax credits for local newspapers, digital-only publications and other local news organizations to help them remain financially viable.
Support for the bill comes from both Democrats and Republicans.
“But having watched the grim consequences of local news’s worsening decline over the past two decades, I think the Local Journalism Sustainability Act has real value,” wrote Sullivan.
Even if the bill is passed, it won’t solve all of newspaper’s problems, but it might slow the erosion
I hope Rep. Elise Stefanik is up to supporting for it, although considering how often she criticizes local media all across her district, I would be surprise if she did.
Hospital CEO to retire
One can hope that with new leadership at Glens Falls Hospital there will be more transparency.
From what I remember of my dealings with the hospital, Diane Shugrue’s legacy should be one of secrecy. After The Post-Star reported the hospital had lost $38 million as it converted to a new billing system, neither Shugrue or any of the management team ever explained how that happened.
Management repeatedly attacked the newspaper for reporting the truth. And since then, I don’t recall seeing any updates about the hospital’s financial condition.
As a community hospital, that should be done annually to the public. Perhaps, new leadership will do that.
Fall coming?
For me, one of the saddest observations each year is when I notice the first yellow leaf in my yard. I usually see that in mid-August, but so far I have not seen any yellow leaves.
Usually, by mid-August we are also feeling the nip each evening of the fall. While it looks like we will see that in the coming days, so far August has remained summer-like.
Hard to believe it is September.
Parole for RFK killer
A California parole board found that Sirhan Sirhan, the 77-year-old killer of Sen Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, no longer poses a threat to society.
Sirhan shot Kennedy in the head in a hotel kitchen after won the California presidential primary. Kennedy died the next day. Sirhan changed the course of history.
We can often be too harsh on criminals, especially when trying to find a path for them to be productive citizens again. But certain crimes demand the harshest of treatment. This is one of them.
The parole board’s staff will review the decision before it is sent to the governor for a final decision on Sirhan’s parole. I hope the governor reverses the decision.
Latest on book
It was nice to see under Amazon’s Hot New Releases that “The Last American Editor” was ranked #6 under new releases in journalism writing.
The hospital needs more than a new president. Where was the board during the financial crisis?
I do not believe that tanyone guilty assassinating a public official should be pardoned. Period