John Kerry Pushes Tax Breaks For Newspapers

Just Pathetic, although part of the plan is for papers to turn themselves into non-profit enterprises so they can slip through the tax code, that shouldn't be a problem since they don't make a profit anyway.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government could provide tax breaks for newspapers or allow them to operate as nonprofits to help the struggling business survive, Sen. John Kerry said Wednesday.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Congress can help the industry hit by a collapse in advertising revenue, debt that is getting harder to repay and the drift of print subscribers to free online news websites.

Without newspapers, Kerry and other lawmakers said at a Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday, there will be too few journalists investigating governments, companies and individuals.

"I think there are definitely some things we can do to encourage, to help the situation without stepping over any line," Kerry told Reuters after holding a hearing on the future of journalism.

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, was referring to the idea that federal, state and local governments should not offer subsidies or other financial help to newspapers because it would make them beholden to politicians. This, in turn, could discourage critical stories or investigations.

John Kerry, the man who chose John Edwards for his Vice-President running mate, great thinking buddy. How long before they just bailouts?