At the heart of the recent report on The Reconstruction of American Journalism, by Leonard Downie and Michael Schudson, is the confirmation of a trend as momentous in its implications for journalism – and for the societies it claims to serve – as any in the past century. It is, that what has been defined – by the academy, by public figures and most of all by journalists themselves – as the central rationale for the practice is now no longer commercially viable, except in niches.

The central rationale of journalism, its public purpose, is to hold powers to account by providing information about their actions. This happens at many levels, from the routine reporting of local events, councils and disputes through to major investigations organised across long time periods and continents. That has only ever been part of the vast output of what is counted as journalism, but it was the honoured part, the Sunday best part, the part which won prizes and made reputations. It is now the most vulnerable part.

Thus throughout the Downie-Schudson report (Downie is the former executive editor of the Washington Post, Schudson a professor of journalism at Columbia), the examples given of the – large – number of new start-ups in news are usually supported, in whole or in part, by foundations. That includes major institutions, like Pro Pubblica (wholly supported by the Sandler Family) and small ones, like the new start-up, the Voice of San Diego. And in the recommendations, Downie and Schudson list –

• tax breaks for news organisations;
• foundations should see news organisations as “continuous” recipients of largess, like theatre and the arts;
• more federal funding for public TV and radio;
• extending universities’ essays into news provision;
• the creation of a “Fund for Local News”, paid for by a levy raised by the Federal Communications Commission.

This – especially the plea for public funds – is recognition of the impoverished state of commercially funded public service journalism: and the lack of any optimism that the old model will return. The wealthier part of the population can pay for relatively expensive news: the rest will get less.