That Citrus Cty leaders don't like NYT doesn't justify keeping it out of their libraries

[struggle4progress]

November 9, 2019 at 6:29 p.m. EST
Anthony W. Marx .. president and chief executive of the New York Public Library.

If anyone needs more evidence that our nation is in crisis, its basic principles and values under attack, look no farther than Citrus County, Fla.

The county’s library system recently requested less than $3,000 from its local government to purchase a New York Times digital subscription. The chair of the library advisory committee stated the obvious: that a digital subscription would improve access to one of the country’s leading news outlets — a request squarely within the mission of public libraries to make all information, in all formats, as widely available as possible.

Despite all of this, the commissioners of Citrus County chose to reject the library system’s request. I am well aware of the financial difficulties public libraries face. (We do give away our services and materials for free.) And if the commissioners stated that they simply couldn’t afford this service — as print copies of the Times are available at the system’s libraries — I could reluctantly understand it. But that was not why the request was rejected. The commissioners decided to limit the public’s access to information because they personally feel the paper is “fake news.” As Commissioner Scott Carnahan brazenly stated, “I don’t want the New York Times in this county. I don’t agree with it, I don’t like 'em.”

This is a misguided decision. Public libraries are not in place to further the political agenda of any party or position. Whether those holding the purse strings favor any particular journal or not should be irrelevant. At the New York Public Library, we offer hundreds of periodicals from all sides of the political aisle. I will tell you that I do not agree with the political slant of some of the papers we make available. And that is exactly how it should be ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/09/citrus-county-fla-leaders-dont-like-new-york-times-that-doesnt-justify-keeping-it-out-their-libraries/?wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

[struggle4progress]

1. Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 16 January 1787

the basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. but I should mean that every man should receive those papers & be capable of reading them.

http://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/1289

[mcar]

2. Reporting in our local paper today says a compromise is in the works

https://www.chronicleonline.com/news/local/smith-coleman-support-times-compromise/article_4d793ac4-0274-11ea-9780-d7ae3eafba6d.html