• TheEnglishMajor
    +6

    The idea of journalism being for-profit at all continues to vex me. If the purpose of journalism is to present objective facts and report on happenings, then for-profit models automatically corrupt that purpose. Journalism should be funded in ways similar to nonprofits -- if we want the service and believe in the work, we contribute, we volunteer our efforts, we hold fundraising events. Ad blockers are the least of the industry's problems. It needs an overhaul, a new direction.

    As soon as a reporter's salary is determined by administrators looking to turn a profit, journalism becomes entertainment geared toward generating controversy. And if those profits come largely from paid advertising, then any potentially unbiased message has to sit next to specifically persuasive, manipulative ads, confusing the whole thing.