Debate the News: Summarizing the Comments Submitted to the FTC

In the lead-up to this month's Federal Trade Commission workshop on the future of journalism, the agency invited the public to submit comments for consideration. After sifting through the 300-some pages of comments on the FTC's Web site, it was clear that everyone agreed on two points: Nobody's happy with the state of journalism today, yet everybody thinks that reputable journalism is worth saving. So how to fix the former so that the latter flourishes? The advice runs the gamut. While some comments discuss current laws, others explore new funding sources - mostly government sources - to help support or create media jobs. In general, media companies - including a group of TV stations - argue that consolidation has cut costs without cutting coverage, including local emergency reporting.