French President, Nicolas Sarkozy announced a 600 Euro emergency aid package for French newspapers on friday which included a free one year newspaper subscription for every eighteen year old – to get them reading the newspaper. A report in The Guardian quotes Sarkozy:
“The habit of reading a daily paper takes root at a very young age.”
While I’d like the commercial benefit of enforced newspaper supply to eighteen year olds, it makes no sense. I’d be against the Australian Government financially supporting the newspaper subscription model because it is a model which is unfair on newsagents and because the government support would only benefit the publishers.
I would prefer to see more government support for an efficient and open channel for access to reliable news and information. Here in Australia that means a reliable broadband network and support for professional, independent, journalism.