Opinion: Corporate Media Behemoths' "Local News" Fund a Travesty of Journalism

    The Orlando Sentinel's seemingly benign "Community News Fund" misleads readers: "The Community News Fund allows readers who believe in supporting local journalism to make tax-deductible contributions." A brief glance at the headline and the article conjures up images of zealous young reporters, independently and unrelentingly pressing forward in their quest for truth and justice. Reality, however, remains far removed from these distorted embellishments.

    Though the beleaguered newspaper recently vacated their ancient offices in downtown Orlando, readers needn't be worried: the Sentinel will be just fine. Despite a loss in readership over the past two decades, corporate subsidies from Tribune Media and revenue from Public Notices will keep them operational for years to come.

    But the Sentinel isn't the only out-of-town news publication in our area to engage in this sort of poppycock. The trendy Orlando Weekly, owned by Euclid Media of Cleveland, Ohio, maintains a "Local Journalism" fund as well through their Press Club portal, though many of the publication's nearly slave interns probably wonder where the money actually goes. Ironically, these multi-million and multi-billion dollar enterprises suck the air out of local journalism instead of supporting it.

    Although, the abatement of competition through endless corporate welfare doesn't stop with the mother company. As referenced previously, Public Notices prop up these decrepit entities and fails to grant many weekly and monthly publication the same privilege due to archaic Florida statutes governing the subject. 

    Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls now appear poised to amend these laws with House Bill 35 as the instrument of choice. By moving Public Notices from papers and online publications to government run websites, the legislators hope to curtail the malign influence of corporate media and cut some slack on the little guy. We applaud the motives behind these legislators and our Governor Desantis. Let's cross our fingers that this move will promote more honesty among our state's mostly one-sided news publications and suspend some of the demagoguery spewed out for public consumption.