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Re:Please do not write below the line by madeofpalk on Monday October 21, 2024 @03:54PM (#41907864)
Yeah, it’s pretty annoying.

Publicly funded media is a great thing to have, and the intention of TV License is to fund it independently from interference from the government of the day. In Australia there’s frequently stories about governments cutting ABC funding, which TV License is supposed to avoid entirely.

But the implementation in practice just sucks. It’s baffling to think of how much money is wasted on administering this additional tax program, sending out all these pretty aggressive letters, maintaining the website, and paying the real “inspectors” to knock on peoples doors.

Re:Please do not write below the line by account42 on Tuesday October 22, 2024 @09:15AM (#41913911)
> Publicly funded media is a great thing to have

Depends on the kind of media.

Educational content? Sure.

News? Not going to be impartial so I'd rather be able to pick my poison - otherwise it's just propaganda.

Sports? A waste of money in my view and the state should not decide what kind of entertainment gets to exist.

Inane talks shows with hosts taking home ridiculous salaries which are funded by extorting money from people who are barely able to pay for their basic needs? Unjustifiable.

Re:Please do not write below the line by madeofpalk on Tuesday October 22, 2024 @09:39AM (#41914151)
> News? Not going to be impartial so I'd rather be able to pick my poison - otherwise it's just propaganda.

Why can't publicly funded media be impartial?