Public Good.pdf

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff has released a discussion draft on potential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism. The draft notes that the journalism industry is undergoing a significant transition, with crumbling business models, emerging new forms of journalism, and changing consumer news habits. The staff's key observations include:

Newspapers typically provide the largest quantity of original news to consumers.
Advertising paid for most of the news produced in the 20th century, but revenues have fallen approximately 45% since 2000.
The advent of the Internet has given advertisers more ways to reach consumers, reducing the amount that online news sites can charge for advertising.
Online advertising revenues are unlikely to replace print advertising revenues.
Newspapers have responded to declines in ad revenues by cutting staff, resulting in significant losses of news coverage.
Existing newspapers are struggling to find a sustainable business model for the future.
* New sources of revenue and new types of news organizations are emerging, including online-only news sites and experiments with new ways to generate revenue.

The draft welcomes additional proposals and comments from the public, which can be submitted online. The purpose of the document is to encourage discussion and analysis of potential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism.