I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Jason Stverak, President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a national leading organization on nonprofit journalism, has issued a statement harshly criticizing a proposal by State. Sen Bruce Patterson (R-Canton) to set up a licensing and registration scheme for journalists in the state of Michigan.
The statement says:
“By introducing a bill to license journalists, Michigan State Senator Bruce Patterson is attempting to control the press and is stepping on constitutional protections. There is a reason why this is a single sponsored bill and has not received much support in the legislature.
Sen. Patterson must realize that journalism is being forced to adapt to new economic realities and that means allowing new journalism organizations to fill in where the traditional media is lacking. An American Journalism Review study found that only 355 full-time newspaper reporters still are based state capitols; 44 statehouses have fewer full-time reporters than they did six years ago.
And while traditional media lays off staff and fails to meet the needs of the public, Americans are demanding more government transparency and the exposure of waste, fraud and abuse. The American public is calling for ethics and responsibility from those who spend their hard-earned tax dollars. But without journalists, politicians and elected officials have too many opportunities to deceive, misuse and exploit their own interests over those of their constituents.
Our country needs more watchful eyes on our elected officials, not legislation that outlaws the truth from emerging.”
As a non-profit journalism organization ourselves, we agree with Stverak. Patterson’s plan has provoked outrage throughout the blogosphere that crosses all ideological lines, but his bill will likely never see the light of day in the legislature. The fact that he could not convince a single one of his colleagues to sign on as a co-sponsor suggests that his crusade is Quixotic at best.
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