Menino to Support Bay State Banner

In a strange instance of a politician seeming to do something potentially useful and community-minded, Mayor Menino has offered to finance the recently-shuttered Bay State Banner with a $200,000 loan. This type of public gesture of support for a publication (particularly a publication about minority issues) makes us wonder how the government might help finance other struggling papers in the future. Is this the start of public funding for journalism (and journalism pandering more than ever to certain politicians)? Or is this an instance of a politician trying to get votes from a certain demographic? Keep an eye on how this plays out. (Or, if you're a Globe commenter, wish that the mayor would fix potholes instead of support journalism.)