News of the movement for July 31, 2012


Journalism and Beyond

How to Ignore the Campaign

Imagine what democracy would be like if elections were more than cash cows for local TV stations selling ads, if they were more than profit centers for conglomerates whose business model is monetizing -- that is, entertaining -- audiences. Imagine if campaigns really were what we deserve: great national conversations about issues and choices.

Marty Kaplan, Huffington Post

#NBCFail: Backlash as Twitter Locks Out Reporter Guy Adams

NBC was at the center of controversy last night after it persuaded Twitter to suspend a journalist for the Independent who criticized its coverage of the Olympics. Guy Adams, the Independent's Los Angeles correspondent, was removed from the social networking site on the day that he wrote a news story detailing widespread public complaints about the network's coverage of the London Games.

Sam Masters, Independent

#NBCFail: NBC Blames Twitter for Complaint that Led to Journalist's Twitter Account Suspended

Following his suspension yesterday from the micro-blogging site Twitter, Independent journalist Guy Adams writes with an update on the controversy.

Guy Adams, Independent

News Corp. Asks to Keep Allegations in Phone-Hacking Case Secret

News Corp.’s British publishing unit asked a judge to keep secret a series of new claims being made by victims of phone hacking in preparation for a group trial scheduled for February. The amended allegations, concerning actions at News Corp.'s News of the World tabloid, reveal "a need for a proper debate about the scope of the case," said Jeremy Reed, a lawyer for at least 50 victims. Reed has said the number of claimants may double before the trial.

Erik Larson, Bloomberg

Ford Foundation Gives Washington Post Grant for Government-Accountability Reporting

The Ford Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Washington Post to expand its government-accountability reporting at the national and local levels. The grant will be used to fund four new newsroom positions to work on special projects related to money, politics and government.

Andrew Beaujon, Poynter

Press Freedom Under Attack in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department’s Colombo Crime Division raided the office shared by news websites Sri Lanka Mirror and Sri Lanka X News. The latter website is widely known as the official journalistic outlet of the United National Party, which is the main opposition party against the ruling coalition. Nine journalists were arrested and computer equipment was confiscated.

Katrina Kaiser, Electronic Frontier Foundation


Future of the Internet

In the Slums of Nairobi, a Mobile Phone Is More Valuable than Clean Drinking Water

The director of MIT's Center for Civic Media traveled to the Nairobi slum of Baba Dogo and found that people would rather pay to charge their mobile phones than to purchase clean drinking water -- even though charging a phone cost the equivalent of 200 liters of clean water. Mobile phones are now indispensable infrastructure in the developing world.

Lisa Goldman, Tech President

Jury in Apple-Samsung Patent Trial to Hear Opening Arguments Today

A federal court jury in Apple’s patent trial against Samsung is set to be the first in the United States to hear lawyers’ arguments and evidence in the global dispute over smartphone technology. The interests and professional backgrounds of the jurors reflect the Silicon Valley pool from which the panel was drawn.

Joel Rosenblatt, Bloomberg

Do We Need a New National Broadband Plan?

Google may be rolling out 1Gbps Internet access to Kansas City, but there are about 19 million American households and businesses that still lack any access to broadband. Most of them are in rural areas, and some will soon benefit from broadband projects financed by one of the last pillars of the FCC's National Broadband Plan: the Connect America Fund. Interestingly, this development comes as the author of the FCC's National Broadband Plan is rethinking broadband development.

Matthew Lasar, Ars Technica

Comcast Tunes Up First Usage-Based Broadband Trial in Nashville

Comcast will implement a new usage-based broadband policy in Nashville that could result in a charge of $10 for 50 additional gigabytes each time subscribers use more than their monthly allotment of 300 GB.

Mike Robuck, CED Magazine

British TV Should Switch to Internet, Peers Suggest

In Great Britain, the switch to digital television may be only the beginning, as a Lords committee says that all TV should be broadcast via the Internet, leaving the airwaves free for mobile phones. However, Britain will need a better broadband network to cope with future technologies, the committee concluded after a wide-ranging six-month investigation.

Juliette Garside, Guardian