Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for policies to help revitalize journalism and keep reporters on the job.

Speaking at a two-day Federal Trade Commission workshop on the state of journalism, Rep. Waxman said that market forces aren’t the only solution to the current crisis – a position argued by News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch on Monday. Rep. Waxman instead described the crisis as a "structural problem," with new polices and tax incentives as part of the remedy.

Rep. Waxman expressed concern about the decline of quality journalism as more news outlets close their doors. "Consolidation of the media business has not helped," Waxman said. "This is a policy issue [and the] government is going to have to be involved in one way or another."

The government has supported news and journalism since our country’s founding, subsidizing postal rates for journals and establishing free speech protections to foster a more Informed citizenry. Just this week, the USC Annenberg School’s David Westphal tallied the more than $1 billion in subsidies media companies already receive from the government.

In his speech, Rep. Waxman said he’s open to exploring new ways for the government to help ensure the future of news. He outlined a handful of policy-related actions we can take, echoing earlier proposals from Free Press and others. Waxman specifically mentioned establishing new tax structures for nonprofit media organizations and reviewing media cross-ownership rules that reduce the diversity of media outlets.

As we weigh these and other options that will help revitalize journalism, Rep. Waxman also offered criteria to guide any government response.

Watch his remarks:

We commend Rep. Waxman for recognizing the media’s vital in creating an informed citizenry and protecting a robust democracy. The way forward is with strong government involvement, and realizing that is the first step.

Read more about Free Press’ vision for a national journalism strategy.