The downsides of philanthropically supported journalism

NPR President Vivian Schiller and former NPR Ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin throw cold water on the idea that philanthropic support can save ailing newspapers. Schiller tells Newsweek: "I laugh when I see that. The notion is that you declare yourself not for profit, and poof, all of your problems go away....It's incredibly naive." Dvorkin blogs: NPR's Science desk has been an "astonishing magnet for philanthropies," so much so that science reporting came to be overrepresented in NPR's overall news coverage. "It was always more difficult to raise money for covering Washington. Or the Middle East. Or any other subject that could be controversial. Science was safe. Or safe enough."