Posts under ‘Issues’

David Isenberg (a colleague at the Berkman Center) deconstructs a dramatically flawed Washington Post editorial on network neutrality, observing, that the Post, “like the blind man and the elephant, gets a few things right, a few things wrong and draws the wrong conclusion.”

Journalist Chris Carey is partnering with Mark Cuban on a new project that offers great promise and raises some serious questions. Chris writes, in an e-mail: I’m leaving the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the end of this week to launch an investigative business journalism site, Sharesleuth.com. The blog-style news site will be devoted to exposing […]

AP: Fines to Rise for Indecency in Broadcasts. Congress gave notice to broadcasters on Wednesday that they would pay dearly for showing material like Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction,” passing legislation that would multiply indecency fines 10 times. Congress also gave notice — as if we needed it — that rather than deal […]

(Here’s an op-ed column I wrote for PR Week, on the issue of buzz marketing.) When I was in my 20s, I rented an upstairs apartment from a middle-aged couple. Not long after I moved in, they invited me down for a beer. After a brief chat, they launched into a pitch to a) sell […]

The U.S. House of Representatives is voting today on amendments to a new telecom law. One in particular, supported by Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Anna Eshoo of California among others, is vital in keeping the Net open to innovation from the edges. If you want to prevent the big telecom companies from turning the […]

NY Times: Internet firms are asked to keep search records. Justice Dept. tells executives it may need data to counter terrorism and child porn. This is roughly akin to having them follow you around everywhere you go with a video camera, watching everything you do, including in your home, just to have a record later […]

Jon Garfunkel: Constructive Activism. From my safe seat in the cradle of liberty, Boston USA, I’m not near any of the physical protests, but I do have a keen eye about what’s happened online. And in my capacity as an occasional journalactivist, I’ve pitched a hand as well. Now I’d like to share what I’ve […]

Wall Street Journal: Yahoo Defends China Cooperation. Yahoo’s Terry Semel faced tough questions from Walt Mossberg — and the audience — over the search company’s decision to comply with requests for user data from the Chinese government, which has used the information to pursue dissidents. I’m one of the audience members who asked Semel a […]

Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC, is the keynote speaker at the International Press Institute’s 2006 World Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland. He raises three key questions: First, is public service journalism, broadcasting in particular, under threat? Yes, he says, citing BBC’s commitment to impartial and independent journalism. Second, should we care? Yes, again, he […]

San Jose Mercury News: Apple loses appeals court battle over leaked information. Applying strong First Amendment protections to bloggers and Web site operators, a San Jose-based appeals court today rejected Apple Computer’s bid for the identities of individuals who leaked confidential information on one of its new products. In a 69-page ruling, the 6th District […]