Why Not Restructure Journalism as a Local Trust?

WHY NOT RESTRUCTURE JOURNALISM AS A LOCAL TRUST?
[SOURCE: David Bollier's blog]
[Commentary] It used to be that journalism was called a public trust. Now it’s mostly considered an under-leveraged market asset. Everywhere you look, the drive to monetize the readership and credibility of journalism is leading to its degradation. It’s demoralizing, it’s bad for our democracy, and it’s destructive of local civic culture. But here’s a fascinating idea: Why not regard journalism as a trust -- literally? That’s what they do at the New London Day (Connecticut), the St. Petersburg Times (Florida), the Manchester Union Leader (New Hampshire) and the Anniston Star (Alabama). Meetup.com, the Daily Kos, MoveOn.org and other Internet venues have shown that, in today’s networked environment, it is actually possible to pursue the collective goals of thousands of ordinary people. Maybe we should be pondering a new future for journalism and local newspapers ­ as citizen-owned trusts. The results could only be beneficial for journalism, for democracy, and for us commoners.
http://onthecommons.org/node/850