Voter-Funded Media

I have recently signed up for SFU Voter-Funded Media Contest. I have also signed CJSF up, considering I am the Public Relations Coordinator. It has been quite an interesting experience. I have spent most of my undergraduate career studying media representation, but I haven't really looked at the issue from this perspective. Now that I think of it, I really should have included it in my graduate school application.

How would the system of voter-funded media work in a place like Vancouver? Would all citizens get to vote who works for the media? Would all media acquire permission from citizens before they publish or broadcast any stories? Where do we draw the line of "voter-funded"? If everything has to be determined by the voters, journalism schools probably wouldn't need to exist anymore. A journalist's ability and knowledge have become somewhat secondary because in a system of election, it all comes down to whether or not YOU get the vote, by any means, regardless why. A lot of officials get elected not because they deserve it. Rather, it's because they are better at influencing the masses and promoting themselves. How? Be it personal charisma, racial background, potential sexism, bribery, branding strategies, compliance with the status quo, etc....

I do see a few problematic aspects in today's Canadian media, but I don't think making it entirely based on support of the audiences is going to solve the problem. Instead, it might only worsen the existing politics in media.