Blogosphere

Innovations like “Living Stories” will help keep much of legacy media in business

by Michael Fumento on December 9, 2009

in Odds & Ends

Innovations like “Living Stories” from Google Labs along with better and much cheaper e-readers to replace newsprint, will ensure that much of the legacy media survives. Which, for all that media’s faults, is good.

Let’s face it; for all the talk of a “new business model” needed for the legacy media, the so-called “citizen media” isn’t it. An infinite number of untrained, amateurs MIGHT theoretically give you what the major newspapers do, just as an infinite number of monkeys might tap out all the works of Shakespeare. But how much time do you have to read through all that monkey typing? No one will ever expand the day to longer than 24 hours; our reading time will always be precious.

Too, there is the aspect of the citizen media that I’m hardly the first to point out – most of the news the citizen media “break” comprises links to the legacy media, even if it’s in a negative connotation. There’s very little generation of fresh content out there other than at the fringes, such as commenting on the legacy media’s fresh content. You hear about each and every true scoop, as with the Acorn revelations, precisely because they are so very rare.

The citizen media can be a good supplement – and it can also be trash – but at its very best, it cannot be a replacement for trained, skilled reporters working full-time at their jobs. Before you bloggers take a jab at me, tell me the last time YOU broke a truly original news story. No, not somebody else – you.

More Hypocrisy Regarding FTC Blog Regulations

by Elizabeth Jacobson on October 21, 2009

in Health and Illness, Healthcare, Regulation

Michael Masnick at Techdirt offers up another incidence of government inconsistency in light of the FTC’s blog-watching rules, reminding us that “clinical research on drugs isn’t even remotely trustworthy, as it all-too-often seems to involve doctors who have serious conflicts.”

Doctors with conflicts-of-interest, who push and promote certain drugs while receiving all kinds of goodies from pharmaceutical companies, seems, at the very least, like a more justifiable place for regulators to stick their noses (although there’s definitely an argument to be made about the medical industry being over-regulated already). Forgive me if it’s difficult to digest the claim  that a mommy blogger with a free bottle of toilet bowl cleaner is somehow a bigger menace to the public than a doctor who pushes his patients into clinical trials without disclosing his “material relationship” with the drug maker.

FTC to Monitor Blogs for Undisclosed Compensation

by Elizabeth Jacobson on June 22, 2009 · 2 comments

in Regulation, Tech & Telecom

So much for the idyllic “free information” model of the internet. The Federal Trade Commission is drafting new rules that would extend its authority to encompass bloggers who promote products in exchange for compensation or giveaways. The FTC’s new oversight could be quite extensive, even covering the common marketing practice of affiliate links, as the Associated Press reports:

New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest. It would be the first time the FTC tries to patrol systematically what bloggers say and do online. The common practice of posting a graphical ad or a link to an online retailer — and getting commissions for any sales from it — would be enough to trigger oversight.

While professional journalists in print or broadcast media are held to strict standards (they usually can’t receive gifts or payments), Internet bloggers need not subscribe to any common code of ethics. However, government oversight in the blogosphere seems a bit drastic and unnecessary. It’s one thing for the FTC to enforce guidelines on electronic advertising conducted by tax-exempt organizations, corporations, or bloggers officially affiliated with them. But applying these rules to independent, small-time consumer product reviewers and noncommercial bloggers who use AdSense oversteps any reasonable exercise of regulatory power in the name of “consumer advocacy.” The FTC even wants to extend its reach to Twitter and other social media services. Perhaps Twitter will have to increase its 140-character limit if users who tweet about a product will be required to include a “#CompensatedReviewFTCCompliant” hashtag.

These new regulations – specifically, the threat of an FTC investigation – could have serious consequences for the availability of information on the Internet. When the FCC regulated political content on broadcast radio in the 20th century, the result was a “chilling effect” on political speech. Broadcasters stopped providing potentially controversial content for fear of an FCC investigation. Unsurprisingly, our government has not learned its lesson. The AP continues:

Between ads on her five blogs and payments from advertisers who want her to review products, Rebecca Empey makes as much as $800 a month, paying the grocery bill for a family of six. She also has received a bird feeder, toys, books and other free goods. Now the 41-year-old mother of four in New Hartford, N.Y., worries that even a casual mention of an all-natural cold remedy she bought herself would trigger an FTC probe.

Last, there’s the obvious problem of manpower. The feds couldn’t possibly believe that they have sufficient resources to monitor the entire blogosphere, could they? Add to that the Twitter timeline and all those public MySpace pages, and you’re looking at a pretty long list. Let’s not forget the millions of Internet message boards - surely those would be included, too. Who’s going to regulate those blogs not based in the U.S.? Cnet’s Caroline McCarthy sums it up best:

…does the FTC realize just how many small-time bloggers are out there? Championing business ethics is a worthy goal, but, um, good luck getting much done when there are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there and new ones popping up more or less daily. Ever heard of the expression “herding cats?”

Consider this more evidence that government attempts to enforce any kind of content regulation over the Internet are almost always short-sighted, heavy-handed, and usually lack any technological understanding. Certainly, bloggers ought disclose compensation arrangements, gifts, and conflicts of interest, and most reputable bloggers already do, but do we really need the FTC to keep its eye on every amateur blogger with a coupon? While it may be desirable for the FTC to promote competition and fair business standards in some contexts, going after blogs is another example of the government injecting itself where it’s neither needed nor welcome.

Human Achievement Hour

by Michelle Minton on March 23, 2009 · 18 comments

in Energy, Environment, Global Warming, International, Odds & Ends, Private Conservation

This week CEI announced the creation of Human Achievement Hour (HAH) to be celebrated at 8:30pm on March 28th 2009 (the same time and date of Earth Hour).

Our press release described ways people might celebrate the achievements of humanity such as eating diner, seeing a film, driving around, keeping the heat on in your home—all things that Earth Hour celebrators, presumably, should be refraining from. In the cheekiest manner, we claimed that anyone not foregoing the use of electricity in that hour is, by default, celebrating the achievements of human beings. Needless to say, the enviros in the blogosphere didn’t take to kindly to our announcement.

Matthew Wheeland, an environmental journalist called the holiday “mind-blowingly strange” and pondered if Earth hour folks are including in their numbers people in countries that don’t have enough electricity to make the choice to turn out their lights. Of course, they don’t have the choice to acquire electricity whereas anyone can choose to stop using human technology if they wish.

In fact, one might even say that they are seething about it–lighting up the various green-oriented blogs with comments such as this sarcastic gem from Jon Petherbridge:

Human achievement hour. Another great idea. I’ll remember how great we all are as I watch the heat mirages rising from the surrounding hoods as my arm hangs out the window during my next July traffic jam.

Or maybe I’ll remember it the next time an American attack aircraft blows up a wedding party in Afghanistan. At least in that example we don’t have to feel bad for the dead Afghanis as they have a sexist culture that we are morally obligated to obliterate, quite literally if necessary. I reckon I’ll celebrate human achievement hour when everybody’s divorced or bisexual and drinking coca-cola in traffic jams on their way to work folding sandwiches for the lawyers and the bankers who we will worship for allowing us to support them by paying on our credit cards.

Go human achievement hour. Pile it on. Diversify, equalize, refinance and over qualify.

I’m feeling better already.

I love and will not give up my electric toothbrush.

They are also attempting to erase any attention directed at HAH, such as the Wikipedia article.

Of course, there are people out there who appreciate what we are trying to say. For example, Rajesh in India writes on his blog:

Coming from India where we routinely suffer power cuts due to mixed-market policies of the government, I found this post from The New Clarion fantastic…Lets use the wavelength of both light and philosophy to keep darkness at bay.

Green and private conservation are fine. We have no problem with an individual (or group) that wants to sit naked in the dark without heat, clothing, or light. Additionally, we’d have no problem with the group holding a pro-green technology rally. That’s their choice. But when this group stages a “global election” with the express purpose of influencing “government policies to take action against global warming,” we have every right as individuals to express our vote for the opposite

If our Human Achievement Hour is at all a dig against Earth Hour, it is so only by the fact that we are pointing out what Earth Hour truly is about: it isn’t pro-earth, it is anti-man and anti-innovation. So, on March 28th I plan to continue “voting” for humanity by enjoying the fruits of man’s mind.

Legislators attack proposed FCC broadcasting rules

by Ryan Radia on April 18, 2008

in Economy, Tech & Telecom

Over 120 members of Congress sent a letter to the FCC this week arguing against new localism mandates being considered by the Commission. Led by Marsha Blackburn, these legislators are rejecting calls to embrace government control of content on the airwaves. As the letter correctly points out, imposing new federal rules on broadcasters is likely to exacerbate the very problems the FCC seeks to remedy.

Giant media companies are accused of silencing independent voices and depriving communities of diverse news coverage. Yet not everyone agrees that local content is suffering. FCC Commissioner Michael Powell recently argued that community-driven programming is thriving, especially since the Internet has taken off.

Local stations have it tough these days. FCC rules run the risk of putting the nail in the coffin for struggling broadcasters. We need more choices, not fewer ones, and dictating mediocrity on the airwaves will only push media companies away from radio and television. 

Groups like Free Press warn that media consolidation threatens the fabric of American democracy. But there’s nothing democratic about unelected Washington bureaucrats deciding what radio and TV stations should air. Contrary to interventionists’ claims, the financial interest of media companies and the public interest go hand in hand. Firms select programs based on ratings, a direct measure of audience size.  If a show isn’t attracting enough viewers, it gets axed. If that’s not democracy at work, what is?  

Speaking of democracy, regulators ignore how the game has changed since the blogosphere has emerged. It’s the new public forum, allowing millions of Americans to voice in on hot political topics and local legislative contests. From Instapundit to DailyKos, popular blogs with independent perspectives offer vigorous intellectual discussion on an Athenian scale, unimaginable to democratic observers of the past. Some of these independent sites are even usurping traditional news outlets, and citizen journalists cover news both on a national and local scale.  

The Internet has also brought us myriad new ways of getting news and commentary. Mobile browsing is expected to explode to 1.5 billion devices in just a few years, and broadband Internet now reaches 99% of U.S. zip codes. RSS news feeds let readers hear about the latest events as they unfold, from virtually any source imaginable. It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be able to get news and video anywhere, anytime.  

The localism debate reminds us of the FCC’s increasing irrelevance. The digital age has dawned, and Americans no longer rely on a small handful of media sources for local news, but the FCC still wants to regulate “traditional” media companies as if the Internet had never existed. The airwaves should stay free and open, or broadcasters may soon become a distant memory.