Tell the internet giants, "Get your own journalists!"

Internet giants feed off the reporting of traditional news media, yet every week long-established newspapers are closing down.  Not only does this compromise the diversity of news reporting but it jeopardizes the existence of the most costly and time-consuming reporting of all - investigative journalism.  Not only that, but with local newspapers closing at an unprecedented rate reporting at the local level in many places is already a thing of the past. 

Without the news media keeping an eye on your local and national politicians, on corporate scandals and on environmental issues, who's going to act as the People's watchdog?  Historically, journalists have been the ones to blow the whistle on all kinds of hidden misdeeds.  We need the watchful eyes and ears of journalists who are willing and able to look out for the public interest where the rich and powerful would rather keep hidden.  This valuable resource needs to be saved or else dark deeds may never be exposed to the light of public scrutiny.

Yahoo! and Google use news to attract their internet customer base.  They utilize the reporting assets of The New York Times, the Associated Press and more.  With millions upon millions of dollars at their disposal why don't they re-hire the local and national journalists who have been made redundant by down-sizing and defunct newspapers.  They could create a new version of the Associated Press - the Associated Internet Press (AIP)?  Not only will it revitalize investigative journalism but it would be a source of revenue, providing research and news for other outlets. 
Sign the petition today, get investigative journalism back on track, properly funded and protected from those who would like to control the media for their own ends.

Internet giants feed off the reporting of traditional news media, yet every week long-established newspapers are closing down.  Not only does this compromise the diversity of news reporting but it jeopardizes the existence of the most costly and time-consuming reporting of all - investigative journalism.  Not only that, but with local newspapers closing at an unprecedented rate reporting at the local level in many places is already a thing of the past. 

Without the news media keeping an eye on your local and national politicians, on corporate scandals and on environmental issues, who's going to act as the People's watchdog?  Historically, journalists have been the ones to blow the whistle on all kinds of hidden misdeeds.  We need the watchful eyes and ears of journalists who are willing and able to look out for the public interest where the rich and powerful would rather keep hidden.  This valuable resource needs to be saved or else dark deeds may never be exposed to the light of public scrutiny.

Yahoo! and Google use news to attract their internet customer base.  They utilize the reporting assets of The New York Times, the Associated Press and more.  With millions upon millions of dollars at their disposal why don't they re-hire the local and national journalists who have been made redundant by down-sizing and defunct newspapers.  They could create a new version of the Associated Press - the Associated Internet Press (AIP)?  Not only will it revitalize investigative journalism but it would be a source of revenue, providing research and news for other outlets. 
Sign the petition today, get investigative journalism back on track, properly funded and protected from those who would like to control the media for their own ends.

We the undersigned respectfully bring to your attention the fact that Yahoo!, Google and others have long utilized the traditional news media as a free source of news.  We believe it's time that your companies took responsibility and sponsored the news by hiring journalists all over the country and establish a brand new independent news gathering force that will continue where the declining old media are leaving off.

The AP has long been a reliable source of news but even the AP is feeling the pressure of the move from newspapers to the internet.  When journalism is pressured it is compromised.  We all know that a free press is an important part of a free society.  We expect that you transform your company's financial success into a benefit for society at large and help make the transformation of journalism in the 21st century a change for the better.

Thank you for considering this issue which may prove to be one of the most important issues of our time.