A couple weeks back, I wrote about how the newspaper lobbyists were working hard to defeat some common sense proposals to help Counties save taxpayer dollars and get through the economic and budget crises we're in. If successful, these media interests could cost a County like our's hundreds of thousands of dollars, and far more long-term. That translates into jobs and services saved.
Well, they've struck again.
The Columbus Dispatch, echoing the Enquirer, and both echoing their lobbyist's distributed talking points, wrote a scare tactic editorial that seeks to stop even a "pilot" approach that would allow us to analyze if the online advertising concept can work in Ohio as it does in other communities.
These newspapers continue to raise the spectre of conflicts of interest with all sorts of nefarious scenarios, even though, when done elsewhere in the country, very clear rules are put in place forbidding online advertisers from having any sort of direct business with or before the relevant County. End of conflict.
And while they wage war on the very concept, they don't seem to be at all troubled by the fact that this happens all the time--such as public transportation agencies putting advertisements every day on public buses. If it weren't for those ads, bus fares would no doubt he higher, or services reduced. (Of course, bus ads aren't competing with newspaper advertising either).
It's interesting to see the same newspapers who routinely call for government to do more with less so adamantly opposed to letting us even explore common sense options to do exactly that.
At least they're honest enough to acknowledge that they have a clear conflict of interest on this issue (ie. their own revenue).
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"...adamantly opposed to letting us even explore common sense options to do exactly that."
Who is us ?
The problem with most politicians is that they end up thinking they are the government and not the people.
It would seem that politicians are wanting more and more revenue while this citizen doesn't want any part of Corporate American dropping marketing dollars to seduce us via government property.
A citizen can't sell advertising on the side of their house because it is a community nuisance.
Advertising on public property is a nuisance, as well.
Just look at the commercialized fountain square or a bus, bus stop, bus bench, etc.
Quality of life is walking down a public street without someone trying to get in your pocket, especially the government.
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