[DEBATE] : US - No bailout for newspapers

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Robert Gibbs: No bailout for newspapers
TAGS: Government Bailout, White House, Media, Robert Gibbs, Newspapers
By CAROL E. LEE | 5/4/09 4:08 PM EDT
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Asked in his Monday briefing if the White House would consider bailing 
out the newspaper business, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs 
told reporters the government may not have the power to reverse the 
industry's decline.

"I don't know what, in all honesty, government can do about it," Gibbs 
said in response to a question about the Boston Globe's financial struggles.

Noting that it's a "bit of a tricky area to get into," given the 
relationship between the White House and the media, Gibbs said President 
Barack Obama "believes there has to be a strong free press" and 
expressed "concern and sadness" over the state of the industry.

But Gibbs wasn't just sympathetic — he also twisted the knife a little, 
digging into reporters who questioned the Obama administration's 
commitment to cutting spending.

"You guys didn't think $100 million meant a lot a few weeks ago," Gibbs 
said. "But looking at some of the balance sheets, $100 million seems to 
mean a lot."

Robert Gibbs: No bailout for newspapers - Carol E. Lee - POLITICO.com (5 
May 2009)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22072.html