In the last two days, I saw this announcement from The American Prospect that it would stop accepting programmatic ads (personalized based on your viewing history), and this interview by Perry Bacon with AJ Bauer in the New Republic on the right’s success in neutering the media. While both noted the problems with media that are being increasingly tilted to the right, unless I missed it, I didn’t see anything resembling a solution.

The American Prospect piece wants its readers to step up and provide more support for its work. (They should.) But haranguing people who are left of center to give more money to support progressive media can only go so far. We all have great organizations, and occasionally great candidates, pitching us for money. Those of us who are not Elon Musk only have a limited amount to contribute. Is another $100 for a progressive media outlet a better use than sending the money to Doctors Without Borders to provide healthcare in Gaza or supporting the next AOC in their first run for office?

The Bauer interview also falls short on the solutions front. The left should learn from the right in focusing on the media. But the right does have a shitload more money. In any case, it’s not clear who Bauer is addressing; are we supposed to rely on progressive billionaires to do the right thing? Also, it was a bit annoying to see the piece completely ignore the progressive media groups that do exist, such as FAIR and Media Matters.

Anyhow, it’s good to see that people recognize the problem. To my view, the right’s increasing dominance of the media is a far bigger problem than the corruption of campaign financing. Somehow, people seem to believe that the rich can buy elections with their campaign ads, but the material that people watch between the ads doesn’t affect their thinking. I’m not sure how that makes sense, but apparently a lot of people believe it.

I’ve put my idea for media reform on the table. The plan is to give everyone a voucher or tax credit, say $100 per person, to support the media outlet of their choosing. This could make billions of dollars available for reporters. Not all of it would support progressives, but much could.

I obviously like my idea, but maybe others have better ones. In any case, if we don’t have some plans other than whining, then the whining will continue and nothing will change. I’m not sure why progressives seem allergic to doing anything about one of the main obstacles to building a progressive political movement. But it is what it is.