great response, you absolutely make my point by putting the Springer, Murdoch media tycoons on the par with Mr Kos' business model. They all try to blur the line between journalism and influencing political decisions made by elected members of parliament.
Kos even goes one step further - he hands out private money to politicians and influences the message of their election campaigns.
So there you have in a nutshell the difference between engaging in the political process in the US and the EU:
In the US politicians are bought with money from private donors in the hope of future kick backs.
In the EU party members engage in policy discussions and vote for election manifestos and then democratically elect their candidates to execute these policies, if supported by enough citizens at the general elections.
DKos is primarily NOT a news blog, it is on the contrary a privately owned and run political action group to collect money and to finance progressive Democratic Party candidates' election campaigns.
US laws make it possible, EU laws prohibit it.
ET functions well as a news blog on European affairs but will fail as a political action group.
To say it in Bullshit Bingo terms: In Europe there's no market for it. EU regulations forbid it.
PS. Even Berlusconi owned tv stations did not finance political candidates' election campaigns. "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
ET functions well as a news blog on European affairs but will fail as a political action group. To say it in Bullshit Bingo terms: In Europe there's no market for it. EU regulations forbid it.
Well done. Only a year behind us on that piece of info. Thus the only way to influence is to engage in the debate and try to influence it.
We are not going to be a mouthpiece for or supporter of any particular party. I don't think we agree with any of them.
The US just formalises the arrangement better than most places.
