Newspaper Bailout Next?

Dear Baby Jesus, please stop the madness. Senator Benjamin Cardin has introduced legislation to allow newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits, enabling them to become eligible for government tax breaks.

Sen. Cardin’s Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for “educational purposes” under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies. Under the bill, newspapers would be allowed to report on all areas of interest, including political campaigns, but would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

This arrangement seems to be working splendidly with NPR’s and PBS’ neutrality.