Coming Soon - Telethons for Newspapers

I have a joke I often use in concerts:

We appreciate your support at the record table. We are a non-profit organization.

We didn't plan it that way, that's just how it's turned out.

Looks like a lot of newspaper editors will be able to use the same bit:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.

"This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat," said Senator Benjamin Cardin.

A Cardin spokesman said the bill had yet to attract any co-sponsors, but had sparked plenty of interest within the media, which has seen plunging revenues and many journalist layoffs.

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 this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible.

Does anyone really think that restricting them from making political endorsements will stop them from endorsing candidates through their slant on reporting? Of course not.

NPR is a non-profit and it's as far left as it comes. Nobody ever mistook NPR for a non-partisan organization.

If this goes through, in addition to the Sunday coupon inserts you'll find an envelope you can use to send in your donations. And every quarter you'll get to enjoy a newspaper-a-thon in which between every story you'll find several pages of pledge drive.