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Lawmakers:
Public needs two
newspapers
The House adopts two resolutions
By Crystal Kua
aimed at saving the
Star-Bulletin
Star-BulletinTwo newspapers are better than one.
That was the sentiment of state lawmakers yesterday as the House adopted two resolutions calling for the owner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin to continue publication of the afternoon daily and to actively seek a buyer.
House Majority Leader Ed Case said the resolutions are about giving the public a diversity of opinion.
"These are very important resolutions because they stand for a very basic principle that our democracy is for more information instead of less," said Case (D, Manoa) said.
Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership announced in September that it was shutting down the Star-Bulletin, leaving Honolulu with only one daily newspaper.
The state attorney general stepped in, filed suit in federal court and won a court order to stop the closure of the newspaper pending a trial.
House Minority Floor Leader David Pendleton said that the essence of the First Amendment is that the marketplace of ideas requires various people to be involved and that there be a free flow of information.
"A single voice, a single person in the market is no market at all," Pendleton said. "We do know that two papers are better than just one and so it's very, very important that we do everything that we can to keep competition in the marketplace of ideas."
A similar measure that passed out of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection committee will be up for adoption before the full Senate today.
You can track bills, hearings and other Legislature action via: Get involved
The Legislative Reference Bureau's public access room, state Capitol, room 401. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Phone: 587-0478; fax, 587-0793; TTY, 538-9670.
Neighbor islanders, call toll-free and enter ext. 70478 after the number:
Big Island, 974-4000; Maui,
984-2400; Kauai, 274-3141;
Molokai and Lanai, 468-4644.
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