Republicans mistaken to target University of Wisconsin journalism center - Steven Greenhut, watchdog.org

It’s hard to know what, if anything, Republican legislators were thinking when the budget committee voted, 12-4, to boot the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism from its offices at the University of Wisconsin. The legislators have been to slow to reveal their motives to the public or to the leaders of the journalism center and, following blowback in the media across the political spectrum, no one will own up to the motion. At first blush, I was apt to agree with the Republicans. Why should taxpayers fund any sort of journalism, I wondered? Except that, as Wisconsin Reporter’s Matt Kittle revealed in a report Thursday, the center really doesn’t receive government subsidies. I use a qualifier because it is housed in a government-funded university facility. But its $400,000 budget comes from private foundations, news organizations and individual supporters. It receives money from lefty George Soros’ Open Society Institute. It is housed in two offices at UW’s Vilas Hall, but in exchange for the small office space the center provides paid interns, guest lecturers and other educational services. http://watchdog.org/88973/republicans-mistaken-to-target-university-of-wisconsin-journalism-center/