Carolina Journal | Papers' Love of Government Hurts Circulation

I wonder if John Ham is on to something here:

Look at the front page of almost any daily newspaper in any town in America. What do you see? Invariably there will be a story or two about some victim group or person who is being helped by a government program or by a non-profit, often using government funds. It could be a person moving into a Habitat for Humanity house, or a group of inner-city kids getting some computers via a government grant, or a training program to help “underserved” citizens, or an “urban garden” being planted to help the poor.

You’ve all seen them, especially around the holidays. Editors seem to think this activity is the essence of American life. Except for the advertising, a newspaper reader from another planet would never know there was a private sector. Editorial content is skewed heavily toward the activities of the welfare state because that’s the sector that reporters and editors identify with.

Unfortunately for newspapers, most people have nothing to do with the welfare state and its many mechanisms, except for funding it with their tax dollars. The private sector is where they live. They go to work, raise their kids, pay their taxes and don’t ask anything from the government except for national defense, good schools, garbage pickup, water and sewer hookups and effective police protection. They don’t want to be hit over the head with stories designed to make them feel guilty for not needing government welfare...

Hat tip: Mark at Tapscott's Copy Desk