Category: Security

media notes 08.29.13

8/29/2013

For Thursday, August 29, 2013, here are some media stories of note:

The Washington Post reports on the significant court case in Argentina that threatens to alter the media landscape. The court is hearing arguments on the monopoly law that has implications for media, in that Groupo Clarin would be forced to break up. The company is a leading opposition voice in the country.

Casey Frechette, writing for Poynter, provides 15 digital security tips for journalists. He argues very little is secure, that complex passwords are necessary, and that the measures are a cumbersome necessity to avert hacking. Among the tips: avoid open WiFi, create a super password as part of a password manager, and try to encrypt.

At opposite ends of the spectrum, but similar in their critical eye on media, two anniversaries are worth mentioning: Jay Rosen, the NYU media scholar, has been producing PressThink for 10 years this week. He examines the blog's history in his latest post. And 25 years ago this week, The Onion began producing mock news. Many major writers and performers have moved through the operation, as NPR notes. Its latest post is actually a biting commentary on Syria, BuzzFeed observes, a sign it can display maturity and not just frathouse comedy.

media notes 08.21.13

8/21/2013

Good Wednesday, here are some media stories of note for August 21, 2013:

A proposed media law in Somalia would require journalists to divulge their sources and forbid reporting against Islamic or Somali tradition or anything that might affect national security. If passed by its parliament, allAfrica reports that many journalists will leave the country rather than live within the new law. Criticism of the bill has not seemingly deterred the government from pushing it through. Somalia is one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists. Already this year six have been killed; last year, 12 were.

Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private who provided classified information to WikiLeaks, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. The New York Times reports on the sentencing and the reaction today.

Jay Rosen, the media scholar from New York University, has been weighing in regularly in recent weeks on leaks of surveillance secrets and the implications for journalism. He writes in his latest PressThink blog post that there is a global battle between those who wish to shed light on intelligence gathering techniques and those who would keep them shrouded. He believes the battle will be won by the party with the better argument. "If sunlight coalitions are to succeed, it won't be by outwitting surveillance. Not better technology, but greater legitimacy is their edge," he writes.

Ellyn Angelotti, writing for Poynter, identifies ways to deal with personal attacks on social media. She says it's important not to panic, reflect on how (and if) you want to respond, do so publicly in short order then take any further conversations offline, and determine how to best remedy the harm (including lawsuits). She encourages more speech to fight bad speech and to reTweet criticism to followers so they can help defend you.

media notes 08.05.13

8/5/2013

Good Monday, here are some media stories of note for August 5, 2013:

Over the weekend Twitter indicated it is changing its policy on abusive messages to better combat harassment and threats across its platform. The Financial Times notes how Twitter has resisted any policy that might intersect with freedom of expression, but a petition in the U.K. of more than 125,000 denouncing the threats against a feminist activist seemed to prompt Twitter to introduce measures. It has reinforced its policy about revoking accounts when they are abusive and it will be easier to directly report an abusive Tweet through its mobile app. The Wall Street Journal looked at the issue just before Twitter announced its moves, noting the delicate balance Twitter has struck over the years.

Bob Cohn, the editor of Atlantic Digital, examines in Folio what he calls a broken system of online comments. Cohen argues that media organizations have not found ways to ensure that comments foster stronger discussion and reflection. It takes resources (more than organizations have) to do so. Until better software arrives to help, he suggests media need to decide if they improve or harm the journalism.

Adam Liptak, the Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, looks at the fine line between spies and leakers at the moment in the U.S. and how court rulings are revising the conventional wisdom about free expression. "The scale of disclosures made possible by digital media, the governments vast surveillance apparatus and the rise of unorthodox publishers like WikiLeaks have unsettled time-honored understandings of the role of mass media in American democracy," he writes. The tension between free expression and national security doesn't yield predictable winners and losers all the time, he indicates.

media notes 07.18.13

7/18/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Thursday, July 18, 2013:

Thomas Kent, the standards editor and deputy managing editor at Associated Press, takes on the assertion that journalism as we know it is on its last legs. Kent, writing for Huffington Post, does not believe journalists are being usurped or left with only the roles of analysis or commentary. He argues that fact-finding, analyzing and presenting remain integral in professional work, that the audience still depends on these qualities and is not as social media-active as it may seem, and that networked journalism (as opposed to corporate-driven journalism) is highly susceptible to manipulation and authoritarian control.

The judge in the case of U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning (who divulged military secrets to WikilLeaks) today ruled in mid-trial not to drop the charge of aiding the enemy. The New York Times noted the connection to journalists during the trial: that it may give rise to similar prosecutions when there are leaks to media organizations. The Freedom of the Press Foundation today indicated the ruling has possibly profound implications for journalism.

Feminista Jones, the prominent social commentator writing in this instance for Salon.com, chronicles the rise of Twitter as a modern equivalent of the Underground Railroad of African American activism. She identifies the adoption of Twitter as a focal point for African America to mobilize protest and to effect policy change. In recent weeks those efforts have included concerns about comments by television host Paula Deen, the Texas anti-abortion legislation, and the George Zimmerman verdict. "They prove that 140 characters can be all it takes to spark a movement," Jones writes.

In recent days it has been reported that Google is reaching out to television networks to create an Internet-driven delivery system that would rival cable. The effort is Google's latest into this realm, and at the moment the speculation is that it will not succeed. Brian Stetler, writing in The New York Times, looks at rival Apple's latest efforts and contrasts its comparable successes at partnerships with those of Google. While Apple's grand strategy for television remains secret, it is at least holding hands with the existing players as it moves in on them.

media notes 05.24.13

5/24/2013

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Some media stories of note for Friday, May 24, 2013:

Controversy lingers for the Obama Administration over its surveillance of reporters and Alex Pareene, writing for Salon, wonders if the president will fire his attorney general in light of the revelations. The president yesterday reiterated concern that the press not be targeted or chilled, and that the real targets should be the leakers of secrets and not those who distribute them (although the attorney general will lead the probe into what amounted to his own activities).

Several media organizations carried vivid video and still images following the terror attack this week on a British soldier. Not surprisingly, there was public criticism. Also not surprisingly, media organizations are defending their decisions. Britain's Press Gazette looks at the controversy, the ethical considerations involved, and the implications of the move.

The controversial decision by Gawker to crowdfund the purchase of video allegedly depicting the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine has hit a snag. The organization can't find the supposed drug dealer with the smartphone and the video. Gawker has raised more than $145,000 of its $200,000 target to buy the content (and finance the video owner's relocation), but it has suggested the fundraising may be for naught.

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media notes 05.16.13

5/16/2013

Some media stories of note for Thursday, May 16, 2013:

It may seem incongruent, but as the White House deals with criticism of the Department of Justice's seizure of phone records for reporters at The Associated Press, it is reviving its efforts to create legislation that would shield reporters' sources and communications from disclosure. The New York Times reports that the President's Senate liaison called Wednesday to ask a Democratic Senator to reintroduce a version of a 2009 bill that didn't make it through Congress.

The New Republic explores the context of the DOJ/AP phone-seizure issue by looking at the chilling effect official surveillance might have on national security reporting. It interviews journalists who believe their phones were tapped and activities tracked. Sources are less willing to part with sensitive information in this climate, the story concludes.

Ken Doctor, writing on "newsonomics" for the Nieman Journalism Lab, examines what went wrong with NewsRight, the effort by the AP and others to deal with illegal or unfair use of their content online. NewsRight was wound up this week. Doctor chronicles the questionable and vague strategy, the evolution of the news licensing field with such players as NewsCred and Flipboard, and some of the decisions made along the way. "Thumbs down to content consortia," he writes. "Thumbs up to letting the freer market of entrepreneurs make sense of the content landscape, with publishers getting paid something for what the companies still know how to do: produce highly valued content."

media notes 26.04.13

4/26/2013

Media notes for Friday, April 26, 2013:

South Africa pushed through contentious legislation Thursday that restricts access to information and imposes fines and penalties including jail time for journalists who publish what the government considers secrets. The Guardian notes there is widespread agreement that the bill's onerous measures have been reduced in the five-year debate since it was proposed, but critics believe there remains discretion for the government to curtail press freedom. Some see it as the first erosion of democracy since apartheid was eliminated in the country nearly two decades ago.

The English-language Egypt Independent closed abruptly Thursday. The New York TImes reports that the site, one of the most aggressive in chronicling political change in the country, was experiencing financial difficulties that investors said could not be surmounted. But it also notes that its staff believes there was a political motive in the closure because of the site's criticism of the president and the Muslim Brotherhood. That observation is shared in a commentary on Tahrir Squared.

A new law in England and Wales makes it tougher to sue. The New York Times reports that the bill passed Thursday does not switch the burden of proof from the defendant, but it offers some provisions to strengthen their position. They can, for instance, claim the information was published in good faith and that it was in the public interest. The bill also is aimed at reducing "libel tourism," in which people chose England as a litigation venue even when publicity of the information was minor there.

The New York Times on the new Internet

7/4/2010

John Markoff of The New York Times asks of the Internet: "Can privacy be preserved while bringing a semblance of safety and security to a world that seems increasingly lawless?"

His story Sunday identifies efforts under way in the United States and elsewhere to deliver a form of ultra-net, a way of communicating electronically with sufficient visibility to secure trust.

The efforts flow from controversial concerns that anonymity somehow confers a recklessness. In this particular case, though, it also involves technological concerns that insufficient trust among the Internet's engineers lead to breaches in security that undermine the faith in the system necessary for it to operate.

The big question is whether we're moving toward the equivalent of a driver-licence mentality for the Internet in which only those deemed capable are permitted to play in certain quarters. It's true that the efforts have a walled garden effect, even if that isn't the full intent.