Murdoch: government assistance newspapers' greatest threat

Media magnate and Wall Street Journal owner Rupert Murdoch penned an op-ed in the newspaper that said any assistance the newspaper industry receives from the government would be a greater threat to its survival than new technology.

In his piece, which was adapted from remarks he gave on a panel at the Federal Trade Commission’s recent workshop on journalism and the Internet, Murdoch charged that among the challenges facing the newspaper business — antiquated regulation, emerging technology, the migration of content online — government assistance would be by far the worst.

"The prospect of the U.S. government becoming directly involved in commercial journalism ought to be chilling for anyone who cares about freedom of speech," Murdoch wrote. "It is precisely because newspapers make profits and do not depend on the government for their livelihood that they have the resources and wherewithal to hold the government accountable."