Mostly Economics Podcast #17: Breaking the Billionaire News Monopoly with Katie Wilson

Dean Baker interviews Katie Wilson, Executive Director of the Transit Riders Union and Seattle mayoral candidate, about her "News Notes" proposal—a voucher system that would give residents around $100 in public credits to support local media outlets of their choice. Wilson explains how this democratic funding model, similar to Seattle's existing Democracy Vouchers for political campaigns, would provide an alternative to billionaire-funded journalism by allowing citizens rather than government to directly allocate public media support. The discussion covers the mechanics of implementation, comparisons to existing programs, and the broader goal of strengthening local journalism through community-driven funding.Follow Dean Baker on: X / @DeanBaker13 Bluesky / @deanbaker13.bsky.social Follow Center for Economic and Policy Research on: X | IG | FB / @ceprdc Bluesky / @ceprdc.bsky.social