Latest news with #StephenCrane
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Public media funding cuts create fair competition for local news in Indiana
Indiana, along with the federal government, has cut billions in funding from public media after long-standing accusations of liberal bias. Local NPR and PBS affiliates, which serve 2.5 million Indiana residents, many in rural areas, should view this as a favor. The average person no longer trusts the media, and associating with the federal government is a terrible way to address that, especially as of late. 'A central pillar of our mission as journalists is to hold power in check,' Stephen Crane, editor-in-chief of the Morgan County Correspondent told me. 'So, if they are simultaneously funding you, that raises a few eyebrows as far as journalistic ethics.' Eliminating subsidies to public media will create a more even playing field for local news outlets. Fair competition can drive them to creativity fill any information and content gaps that result. 87% of people who name NPR as their main source of news identify as Democrat or Democratic-leaning, which shows the national brand has catered more to an ideological audience, even if not intentionally, rather than directly addressing local needs anyways. Ending their subsidies won't eliminate PBS and NPR entirely, as only a small proportion of their budgets rely on the government, but it will make sure they don't have an unfair advantage over their competitors while offering a less-relevant product. Opinion: Public media has earned our trust — and government funding While for obvious reasons I'm partial to IndyStar, with its long history as a local outlet benefitting from the investment of its parent company Gannett, many newer publications have done an excellent job addressing local needs. The Morgan County Correspondent, the Indiana Capital Chronicle and Mirror Indy are three examples of hyper-focused media outlets that came into existence within the last five years to cover a local media market and did so effectively by seeking local funding sources rather than government subsidies. 'There's plenty of people with deep pockets that really understand the crisis we're confronting,' Crane told me. 'It is a crisis of democracy.' While it is harder for startups to break into more capital-intensive industries like broadcast media, many have found ways to reach people where they are through social media engagement, podcasts and other rising alternative forms of media. If the government wants to support the news industry, making newspaper subscriptions and advertisements tax-deductible is a much more ethical way to do so, as it would incentivize public engagement rather than arbitrarily picking winners and losers in the media market. 'The larger problem, particularly when it comes to newspapers … is we're dealing with an ill-informed and disengaged public,' Crane added. 'Everyone is growing more and more isolated for various reasons.' Opinion: Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away 41% of the U.S. doesn't trust national media, worsening that problem. By contrast, only 18% of the U.S. doesn't trust local media, perhaps because they are closer to their geographical community and feel more of an obligation to win their trust and provide some level of representation to the things they care about. 'We see the newspaper playing a vital role and sort of retightening the threads of the community fabric and really anchoring the identity of that community,' Crane told me. 'When you're talking about communities, you see them in the grocery store. These are real people. You can't quite get away with as much arm's-length existence. The larger scale you go, the harder it is to define community.' Indiana has already taken a few steps recently to make it easier to run a news publication, including by reducing the number of years a newspaper has to be in print to be eligible to publish public notices, increasing transparency around state agency spending and requiring local government meetings to be livestreamed. As traditional metrics of newspaper readership decline and artificial intelligence competes to become the primary distributor of public information, local media now desperately need more of a drive to innovate and win back the public trust. Eliminating government subsidies is a great first step to restore the competitive drive needed to innovate, but now the government needs to incentivize the public to re-engage by making newspaper subscription and advertisement costs tax-deductible.
Geek Vibes Nation
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Exclusive: 'Red Badge of Courage' Graphic Novel From Abrams & Steve Cuzor
'The Red Badge of Courage' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane, first published on October 3, 1895. Set during the American Civil War, the story follows Henry Fleming, a young private in the Union Army who flees the battlefield out of fear. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound—a 'red badge of courage'—to redeem what he sees as his cowardice. During his regiment's next encounter with the enemy, Henry takes on the role of flag-bearer, proudly carrying the regimental colors into battle. 'Written by Crane when he was just 24, The Red Badge of Courage is a Civil War story that captured the imaginations of readers worldwide and made its author an overnight literary icon. Now, artist Steve Cuzor and Abrams ComicArts are publishing a powerful graphic novel adaptation of the classic and genre-defining war novel. Cuzor's stark yet detailed artwork in 'The Red Badge of Courage' perfectly captures the realistic prose of the original novel, presenting a lushly illustrated, unflinching depiction of war through the eyes of a young, inexperienced soldier.' Artist Steve Cuzor 'In the novel, Stephen Crane spends a lot of time describing the soldier's feelings, his anxieties, his anger at the officers, but he never describes the battle plan in a tactical, strategic way. It's not essential for Crane to describe war; it's not his aim. Unlike novels, graphic novels are made with images. We have to show things. In parallel with the staging of the story, I had to surround myself with documentation and filmed reports on the Civil War to understand troop movements at that time. The way officers gave orders, etc. And I put myself in the shoes of an officer to write and draw the sequences.' Now, thanks to the folks at Abrams ComicArts and Artist Steve Cuzor, we are proud to present this exclusive preview of their adaptation of Crane's Classic 'The Red Badge of Courage.' Oni Press 'The Red Badge of Courage' graphic novel adaptation by Steve Cuzor will be available in bookstores on Tuesday, May 13th and in comic shops on Wednesday, May 14th, 2025.'
