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Trust in Print

Question for those folks thinking that big oil companies exploit us and should be regulated more heavily, or who think that Windows is a monopolistic behemoth forcing us all to spend our entire life incomes on software we don’t like …

In many cities today, there is but one single newspaper to serve the print news “needs” of the local citizens. For example, in Rochester the Democrat and Chronicle is the only game in town. Where were all the calls for anti-trust regulation back in the 50s and 60s? And why are people not focusing their attention on this issue today? After all, there are far FEWER city-based, traditional, newspapers today than there were in the past. Isn’t this evidence of collusion, monoplistic behavior and the like?

4 Responses to “Trust in Print”

  1. Speedmaster says:

    Those newspapers are not a threat, they espouse statist and socialist views, and consistently shill for Democratic candidates and causes. 😉

  2. Scott says:

    How about “organic food”? Have you ever tried eating something that is inorganic?

  3. Chris Gerrib says:

    Actually, a lot of people are worried about the lack of news competition in cities. The problem is the remedy. If you have a monopolist running around buying stuff up, the remedy is easy – don’t let them buy.

    Since the problem is that the newspapers are folding, the obvious remedy – some kind of subsidy – has its own obvious issues.

  4. Charlie the Tuna says:

    “Actually, a lot of people are worried about the lack of news competition in cities. The problem is the remedy. If you have a monopolist running around buying stuff up, the remedy is easy – don’t let them buy.

    Since the problem is that the newspapers are folding, the obvious remedy – some kind of subsidy – has its own obvious issues.”

    Lesson time folks:
    1. Who are these “lots of people”?
    2. What exactly is the lack of news competition? Did someone measure some sort of herfindahl (sp?) index for all types of news in each city? Bonus points to the student who can find the relevance in Paul Krugman’s Nobel Prize award here – and no, that is not an attack on him, it is a solid reason he won.
    3. My little daughter was the only girl in the neighborhood with a lemonade stand set up this summer – what a horrible, evil monopolist she was! If the kid from the next neighborhood wanted to take over her stand, we should prevent it?
    4. Newspapers are folding does not equal a problem. When a firm goes out of business, the obvious remedy is a subsidy. OK folks, I will start up a tuna-chocolate lasagna home delivery business – and when it fails, it will be obvious to take taxpayer funds (which impose enormous losses to begin with) to keep me afloat.

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