Public Press is a group of 17 29th century American newspapers and magazines published by citizens from all over the United States and other countries. Public Press was founded inigsault from the First Congregations and Houses, which had been formed to investigate and record news, political events, and proceedings. It began publication in 1830.
Public interest groups such as labor unions and other grass-roots organizations are the heart of Public Press. In San Francisco, Public Press has maintained its non-profit status and has become an effective watchdog and investigative reporter on many issues. At the same time, they have developed and implemented their own rigorous standards for selecting stories. This selection process is called the” Editors’ first sale” policy. Editors first review the material, and if it is good, they accept it for publication. If not, they send it back to be edited.
In response to their questions, Lee says that the current revenue climate for Newspapers and Magazines is “dysfunctional” and that they have “no prospect of seeing an increase in revenues anytime in the near future
Government and business leaders have an important role in providing the funds that Public Press needs to publish investigative reporting and other news content. However, the real strength of Public Press lies in its non partisan stance. Although they have traditionally advocated strong government regulation of industries including transportation and communications, they now tend to cover both sides of the issue. They also consider alternative sources for funding, such as wealthy individual patrons, to balance out the revenue needed by the government. They do not have any ties to specific industries, unlike most newspapers and magazines.
Peter Lee, who serves as the Executive Director of N.C. Association, is a testament to how Public Press has changed. He served as communications director and then campaign manager for Assemblyman Jack Huffman, a Democrat representing San Francisco’s District 7B. As a result of his experience as a communications director for Huffman, Lee became Executive Director of N.C. Association, where he oversees the non-profit news organization’s fundraising and development efforts.
As an Executive Director for N.C. Association, Lee enjoys hearing from constituents who want to know why they have not seen significant increases in revenue. In response to their questions, Lee says that the current revenue climate for Newspapers and Magazines is “dysfunctional” and that they have “no prospect of seeing an increase in revenues anytime in the near future.” He attributes this trend to a lack of trust in traditional media, a view that is shared by most Americans.
At the heart of most journalists’ work is the pursuit of information, which makes them valuable sources for information that the public needs. Because of this importance, a strong case should be made for the taxpayer and public trust in them to ensure that sufficient funds are available for investigative reporting. Richard Rosenfeld, executive director for news and media at the National Press Institute, concurs with this assessment. “The public’s lack of trust in the media,” he said, “leads many people to seek only information that comes through the ‘state’ side of the government.”
