For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
JOURNALISM
The Art of Manufactured News
Is Online News Reaching Its Potential?
White House Media May Get Temporary Boot
CABLE/INTERNET
The Cable Behemoth
Media Wars Move to High Court
Hobbling Grokster -- and Innovation, Too
When David Steals Goliath's Music
TELECOM/INTERNET
FCC Grants BellSouth Petition
In Fight for MCI, Qwest CEO Won't Take No for an Answer
TELEVISION
Under New Chief, FCC Considers Widening Its Reach
On Public TV, Not Quite an Ad But Pretty Close
Stay Tuned for the Next Commercial
A Traumatic End to the DTV Transition?
TV Is Still the Medium That Builds Brands Best
QUICKLY -- Bill Gates' "Think Week"; State Telecom Legislation; New Web=20
Sites to Store Public's Digital Content; Expanding Use of =93Orphan Works=94=
;=20
Sharpton and Violent Radio; A Transatlantic Spam Alliance; Rural Telecom=20
Demand; Blockbuster Drops Hollywood Bid; Censorship in the Science Museums
JOURNALISM
THE ART OF MANUFACTURED NEWS
If Professor Noam Chomsky was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave. As the=20
media world assesses new ground rules, producer Medialink Worldwide says=20
=93branded journalism=94 is the best way to advertise in a splintered=
market.=20
Instead of sending out video news releases in hopes that stations and cable=
=20
networks will air them, PR firms are actually creating the newscast, then=20
buying spots on networks the way a Madison Avenue firm would. If viewers=20
were confused before, they'll certainly have a hard time discerning news=20
updates from mini-infomercials now. Critics say the most troubling aspect=20
of the latest VNR product from Medialink=97a paid ad spot=97is that the news=
=20
content is genuine but serves as a conduit for a brand or corporate=20
mention. Moskowitz says Medialink is exploring a wide range of similar=20
formats in what he calls =93marketing public relations=94 and what other=20
PR-industry insiders dub =93secured placements.=94 By secured, they mean=
that=20
the media time was purchased and guaranteed to air unlike conventional VNR=
=20
or B-roll footage. Moreover, Medialink Chairman/CEO Laurence says he is=20
creating a new genre of television that blends news, PR and conventional=20
Madison Avenue media-buying practices. In effect, he is competing with both=
=20
Madison Avenue and the TV news industry, while blurring the lines between=20
them. Moskowitz sees the distinctions between ad agencies and PR companies=
=20
fading fast. Ad agencies spend millions producing commercials, buying media=
=20
time or negotiating branded content deals; their PR counterparts are=20
accomplishing the same for pennies on the marketing dollar.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Joe Mandese]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA513090.html?display=3DFeature...
erral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
IS ONLINE NEWS REACHING ITS POTENTIAL?
Ten years ago, at the first =93New News=94 seminar held at the Poynter=20
Institute, a group of digital pioneers brainstormed what would be new about=
=20
online news. They listed what it was that newspapers were not providing=20
that the new digital news space would enable and how the new medium might=20
change news reporting and writing.
Many of the predictions were based on the idea of the =93limitless=
newshole,=94=20
an endless space for providing deep context and satisfying the =93give me=20
more=94 that reporters thought news seekers were craving. The promise of=20
hyperlinking and easier communication between readers and reporters were=20
all high on the list of ways this new news space would change news.=20
Creating new expressive forms of reporting, providing better follow-up on=20
reported stories and crafting new relationships between words and graphics=
=20
were noted as new potentials for online news. Ten years later, just how far=
=20
have we come in realizing these predictions? How much have we truly=20
leveraged the possibilities of new forms of news writing and reporting=
online?
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Nora Paul]
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050324paul/
WHITE HOUSE MEDIA MAY GET TEMPORARY BOOT
The stuffy, packed, run-down White House briefing room has become something=
=20
of a safety hazard over the years and may require a top-to-bottom=20
renovation this summer. If the administration moves forward, the dozens of=
=20
reporters who work and virtually live in the cramped quarters will be=20
relocated to a spot outside the White House, a scenario that does not sit=20
well with some journalists concerned about long-term access to the=20
president and administration officials. The temporary accommodations for=20
the White House press corps would likely be in the nearby Eisenhower=20
Executive Office Building.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jim VandeHei]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5283-2005Mar27.html
(requires registration)
CABLE/GROKSTER
THE CABLE BEHEMOTH
[Commentary] In New York, Cablevision reigns over a sports and=20
entertainment empire that is the sports equivalent of the old Hollywood=20
studio system before it was broken up on antitrust grounds. It owns Madison=
=20
Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the NBA Knicks franchise and the=20
NHL's Rangers, as well as the cable channel (the MSG network) that=20
broadcasts the teams' games. You'd think Cablevision wouldn't want to call=
=20
attention to its monopolistic control over professional sports in=20
Manhattan. Think again -- the cable operator is leading the fight against a=
=20
proposed New York Jets football stadium. Cablevision, loath to see an=20
alternative entertainment venue in midtown Manhattan, has spent millions=20
lobbying against the Jets project (after backing out of talks with the Jets=
=20
to be partners on the deal). Then it recklessly dreamed up an alternative=20
development plan. Most alarming of all, Cablevision blocked pro-stadium ads=
=20
from its cable system. That prompted the Jets to file a lawsuit accusing=20
the cable operator of violating antitrust laws. The growing power of cable=
=20
operators to restrain trade and competition is a matter for Congress and=20
the rest of the nation to keep an eye on.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-cable28mar28,1,16...
0.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)
MEDIA WARS MOVE TO HIGH COURT
Grokster. Brand X. How do these Supreme Court cases relate to me, a global=
=20
media conglomerate? At stake, from the commercial perspective, is billions=
=20
in content protection and billions in broadband infrastructure. Grokster=92s=
=20
allies acknowledge that file-swapping has cost traditional content=20
providers huge sums of money. The 100 million music files downloaded in=20
2004 represent $1.3 billion in lost profits, says the Consumer Federation=20
of America. The music industry says its annual losses are actually $4=20
billion. Mark Cooper, research director for Consumer Federation of America,=
=20
says Hollywood and other media giants are standing in the way of technology=
=20
rather than finding ways to adapt their business to new options available=20
to consumers. Now that technology has made it easy for Web surfers to=20
obtain songs one at a time, they are no longer willing to pay the $13 cost=
=20
for an entire album. Rather than forcing consumers to stick with the old,=20
expensive business model, media companies should make it easier to download=
=20
single files legally by using royalty-management software already on the=20
market. If Earthlink and its allies win the Brand X case, subscribers to=20
cable-modem service would be able to choose from many ISPs rather than=20
being forced to use their cable company=92s broadband service. If the=20
justices side with the cable industry, however, operators will be able to=20
dictate what rival services, if any, are available on their networks. For=20
instance, an operator might ban not only independent ISPs, but also=20
companies offering Internet telephone service in competition with the cable=
=20
company=92s brand. Mark Cooper, research director for Consumer Federation of=
=20
America, says development of new high-speed services will be stymied if=20
cable isn't forced to carry competing providers. For instance, the largest=
=20
cable operator, Comcast, is only now rolling out Internet telephone service=
=20
-- three years after independent Vonage began offering the service over=20
cable lines. =93It=92s not the Comcasts of the world that are inventing new=
=20
technologies,=94 he says.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA513093?display=3DNews&referra...
SUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See also --
* Why 'Brand X=92 Matters to Cable
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA513269.html?display=3DTop+Stories&...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* A Supreme Court Showdown for File Sharing
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell & Jeff Leeds]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/technology/28grokster.html
(requires registration)
* USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050328/a_court28.art.htm
=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050328/grokster28.art.htm
=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050328/fileshare28.art.htm
=
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050328/legit28.art.htm
*=20
LATimes:=20
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-grokster28mar28,1,686...
.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
HOBBLING GROKSTER -- AND INNOVATION, TOO
[Commentary] Although the U.S. Supreme Court won't hear arguments in MGM=20
Studios v. Grokster until tomorrow, the case is already having a chilling=20
effect on technological innovation. Feeling the sting of the massive theft=
=20
by users of peer-to-peer (P2P) software made by Grokster and other=20
defendants, movie and music studios are asking the court to hold tech=20
companies liable for copyright infringement if people use their products to=
=20
steal films, songs, or other protected works. If the Court sides with=20
Hollywood, it could put an entire up-and-coming generation of technological=
=20
innovation at risk. Ever since the invention of the player piano, the=20
reigning entertainment titans of the day have fought new technologies, most=
=20
recently taking up arms against VCRs, CDs, and MP3 players. Each time, they=
=20
eventually came to recognize the value of these innovations, for themselves=
=20
and for their customers. P2P -- and whatever as-yet-unimagined technologies=
=20
might follow -- will be no different. The Supreme Court needs to keep the=20
way clear for innovation.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Lorraine Woellert]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc20050324_0001.htm
WHEN DAVID STEALS GOLIATH'S MUSIC
[Commentary] When the Supreme Court takes up peer-to-peer file sharing this=
=20
week, the NY Times hopes it considers individual creators of music, movies=
=20
and books, who need to keep getting paid if they are going to keep=20
creating. If their work is suddenly made "free," all of society is likely=20
to suffer. The founders wrote copyright protections into the Constitution=20
because they believed that they were necessary for progress. Movies, music=
=20
and books require investments of money and time. If their creators cannot=20
make money from them, many will be unwilling or unable to keep producing.=20
Or they may have to finance their work in troubling ways, like by building=
=20
in product placements or taking money from donors with agendas. Grokster's=
=20
supporters are justified in worrying that if the courts are too quick to=20
rein in new technology, innovation can be stifled. They are also right to=20
point out that copyright has sometimes been given too much protection,=20
notably in the Copyright Term Extension Act, which gratuitously added 20=20
years to existing copyrights. But these concerns do not erase the=20
continuing importance of intellectual property, which is unquestionably=20
under assault. Both the court and Congress should be sensitive to evolving=
=20
technologies. But they should not let technology evolve in a way that=20
deprives people who create of the ability to be paid for their work.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/opinion/28mon1.html
(requires registration)
TELECOM/INTERNET
FCC GRANTS BELLSOUTH PETITION
In an order released Friday, the FCC decided to preempt state telecom=20
regulations requiring BellSouth to provide DSL service to customers getting=
=20
voice service from competitors that lease BellSouth's network. The March 17=
=20
vote, one of the last before ex-FCC Chairman Michael Powell left, covers=20
all state commissions, not just those in BellSouth territory. Commissioners=
=20
Copps and Adelstein dissented in part saying the decision =93unwisely=
flashes=20
the green light for broadband tying arrangements.=94 They said the BellSouth=
=20
practice of refusing to offer DSL without voice service is a form of tying,=
=20
which they defined as an arrangement in which =93a seller conditions the=20
availability of one product on the buyer=92s purchase of a second product.=
=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Edie Herman]
(Not available online)
BellSouth Press Release: BellSouth Says FCC Broadband Order Clears=20
Underbrush; Encourages Broadband Rollout
http://bellsouthcorp.com/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=3D49287
FCC Order: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-78A1.doc
Commissioners Copps and Adelstein Statement:=20
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-78A2.doc
Coverage --
News.com:=20
http://news.com.com/FCC+starts+to+look+at+naked+DSL/2100-1034_3-5637790....
?tag=3Dnefd.top
WSJ:=20
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111196508520290459,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
IN FIGHT FOR MCI, QWEST CEO WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER
Talks between the MCI and Qwest face a deadline of midnight tonight. So=20
perhaps as soon as today, the MCI board is expected to publicly indicate=20
whether Qwest's bid has a chance to scuttle the deal with Verizon. Although=
=20
Qwest was informed February 13 that it had lost its bid for the long=20
distance company, Qwest CEO Richard C. Notebaert has refused to concede=20
defeat, launching a guerrilla-style campaign for MCI.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com and=
=20
Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111196616816090474,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
* Plan to Merge MCI, Qwest Has A Sour Ring to It
As a long-time advocate for investors, it pains Jerry Knight to say that=20
MCI's board of directors ought to tell shareholders who oppose merging with=
=20
Verizon Communications to take a hike.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5750-2005Mar27.html
TELEVISION
UNDER NEW CHIEF, FCC CONSIDERS WIDENING ITS REACH
A look at the stakes for the radio and television industries as new policy=
=20
leaders in Washington consider curbing indecent content. Leading lawmakers=
=20
and the new FCC chairman, Kevin Martin, would like to see significant=20
increases in the size of fines for indecent programming via broadcast, new=
=20
procedures that could jeopardize the licenses of stations that repeatedly=20
violate the rules and a possible expansion of rules to cable and satellite=
=20
television and radio providers. And organizations opposing what they=20
consider indecent programming have joined forces with consumer groups that=
=20
have been trying to tighten regulation over the cable industry and force it=
=20
to offer consumers less expensive packages of fewer stations, known as =E0=
la=20
carte services. Some of the anti-indecency groups see =E0 la carte services=
=20
as a way of helping consumers block out programming they consider indecent.=
=20
"We are at a rare moment when there seems to be bipartisan energy on both=20
sides of the political aisle and both sides of the ideological divide,"=20
said Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, a leading=20
advocacy organization that officials say has been responsible for the vast=
=20
majority of complaints against the broadcasters.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/business/media/28decency.html
(requires registration)
ON PUBLIC TV, NOT QUITE AN AD BUT PRETTY CLOSE
In March 2004, the Public Broadcasting Service, a nonprofit membership=20
organization of public television stations, loosened its guidelines on the=
=20
content of the credits. So to raise money for noncommercial programming,=20
producers and distributors increasingly allow their corporate underwriters=
=20
to turn their credits into something resembling regular commercials. Since=
=20
the mid-1990's, the underwriter announcements that precede and follow many=
=20
public television programs (and usually conclude with the narrator thanking=
=20
"viewers like you") have gradually adopted many trappings of regular=20
advertising, despite appearing on "commercial-free" television. Many=20
station managers argue that these new sponsorship arrangements are=20
necessary. Federal funding for public television has grown each year since=
=20
2000, but not enough, managers say, to keep up with rising operating costs=
=20
and the additional expense of converting to digital signals. And the=20
states' support has been hampered by money woes.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nat Ives]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/business/media/28adcol.html?
(requires registration)
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT COMMERCIAL
Don't touch that remote! With television watchers increasingly inured to=20
the shocking sights and kooky characters long used in commercials to snare=
=20
attention, many marketers are chasing a new goal: They are aiming to make=20
ads as compelling as the programs they interrupt. "In the old days, you=20
could get away with a funny idea, or anything that was goofy or=20
slap-happy," says Paul Venables, founder and co-creative director of=20
independent San Francisco shop Venables, Bell & Partners. Now, TV ads=20
require a higher level of craftsmanship, better casting and a more obvious=
=20
show of money and intelligence. "It's making people step up and treat TV=20
commercials as what they should be -- not just as a big bullhorn, but=20
something that could create intimacy, where you connect with somebody," he=
=20
says.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brian Steinberg=20
brian.steinberg( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111196827904490510,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
A TRAUMATIC END TO THE DTV TRANSITION?
So why are a few key lawmakers so eager to shut down analog broadcasting in=
=20
a few months and run the risk of enraging millions of voters stuck with=20
useless TV sets? First there's potential spectrum auction revenues, the=20
crack cocaine of federal telecom policy. Then there's the potential that=20
the companies that win those auctions will use them to provide wireless,=20
broadband connections competing with the emerging cable-teleco duopoly. Add=
=20
to that national security concerns as some of the returned spectrum will be=
=20
set aside for first responders. At stake in a poorly planned are 73 million=
=20
TV sets would become useless unless their owners obtained an over-the-air=20
digital converter, a new DTV set or a connection to cable or direct=20
broadcast satellite. Oh and some politicians jobs could be at stake if they=
=20
screw with people's TVs. Americans love their TV, and messing with it could=
=20
inspire a backlash. Just a few years ago, Congress was stunned by the=20
outpouring of anger generated by some of the 500,000 satellite-TV=20
subscribers that were close to losing access to distant feeds of ABC, NBC,=
=20
CBS and Fox programming. =93I think it=92s going to be ugly,=94 said Josh=20
Bernoff, vice president of Boston-based Forrester Research. =93The real name=
=20
for this hard date should be, 'The No More Television for Poor Old People=20
Act.'=94
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA513178.html?display=3DPolicy&refer...
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ROHRS: TV IS STILL THE MEDIUM THAT BUILDS BRANDS BEST
TV watching still constitutes 54% of the media that audiences =93consume=94=
and=20
that it is still, by far, the best way to reach mass markets and build=20
brands. Last year, local broadcast revenues grew by 12% in the top 100=20
markets. Revenues were up in nine of the top-10 advertising categories for=
=20
the year, led by political spending, real estate, furniture, automotive and=
=20
car dealerships. In the fourth quarter of 2004, local television revenues=20
jumped by 18%, driven mostly by political advertising as the presidential=20
election came to a close.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA513110?display=3DSpecial+Repo...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
QUICKLY
IN SECRET HIDEAWAY, BILL GATES PONDERS MICROSOFT'S FUTURE
Accompanied only by the memories of his mentor, a short green fellow named=
=20
Allen, Master Bill has retreated to a waterfront cottage for his "Think=20
Week," a seven-day stretch of seclusion he uses to ponder the future of=20
technology. Then the digital master, known to many as Bill Gates,=20
propagates those thoughts across the Microsoft empire. The reading list is=
=20
papers collected from the four corners of that empire, from employees --=20
some papers make pleas for more people and money but most are focused on=20
technology trends and development. The effects of this Think Week are=20
rippling through Microsoft. Yusuf Mehdi, vice president in the MSN online=20
group, says he lugged a 6-inch-thick printout of Mr. Gates's Think Week=20
comments on a business trip. In the Office-software division, one group=20
says it used Mr. Gates's comments to change direction on whether to team up=
=20
with or acquire certain companies. (They won't say which way.) A team=20
member was soon in Europe meeting potential partners.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Robert A. Guth rob.guth( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111196625830690477,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
TELECOM FIRES BLAZE IN STATES
A number of states are considering new telecommunications legislation.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA513274.html?display=3DTop+Stories&...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
NEW WEB SITES TO STORE PUBLIC'S DIGITAL CONTENT
Tapping into a growing interest in so-called citizens' media, two Web sites=
=20
launched this week that aim to become repositories and clearinghouses for a=
=20
wide variety of digital content created by the public.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Michael Bazeley]
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/11219984.htm
See also --
Yahoo Launches Search For Nontraditionally Licensed Content
Yahoo is releasing in beta a search engine that looks for pictures,=20
writings and other creative works available for reuse under nontraditional=
=20
copyright licenses offered by Creative Commons.
http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/159905530
PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE SUPPORTS EXPANDING USE OF "ORPHAN WORKS"
The U.S. Copyright Office should permit movie makers, recording artists,=20
authors, scholars and others to make a =93reasonable effort=94 to find=20
copyright owners as a way of making =93orphan works=94 more available,=
Public=20
Knowledge said Friday. =93Orphan works=94 are copyrighted materials for=
which=20
the copyright owner can't be reasonably located. Artists who want to use=20
such material in new creations could be liable for copyright infringement=20
under present law.
[SOURCE: PublicKnowldge Press Release]
http://www.publicknowledge.org/pressroom/releases/pressrelease.2005-03-2...
58900841
SHARPTON WANTS US FCC TO STEP IN ON VIOLENT RADIO
On Thursday, Rev. Al Sharpton urged the FCC to step in to stop what he said=
=20
was violence fomented by radio stations. He asking for field hearings to=20
investigate violence involving radio stations, bar artists from the air for=
=20
90 days if linked to violence, and consider such incidents when deciding=20
whether to renew broadcast licenses.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: ]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3D8000078
POLITICIANS FORM TRANSATLANTIC SPAM ALLIANCE
The U.S. Congressional Internet Caucus, the body charged with educating=20
lawmakers about the Internet and fostering its growth, is teaming up with=20
its U.K. counterpart to tackle spam. The move will improve communication=20
between the two countries on e-commerce, as well as help tighten laws on=20
unsolicited bulk e-mail, said Derek Wyatt, chairman of the U.K. body, the=20
All Party Parliamentary Internet Group.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Dan Ilett]
http://news.com.com/Politicians+form+transatlantic+spam+alliance/2100-73...
-5637131.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
TELECOM: KEY TO RURAL HAPPINESS
Yes, Virginia, there's demand for bundled telecommunications in rural areas=
=20
too.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA513275.html?display=3DTop+Stories&...
rral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BLOCKBUSTER DROPS HOLLYWOOD BID
Blockbuster, the largest U.S. video-store chain with about 5,500 outlets,=20
has abandoned its hostile bid to acquire rival video-store chain Hollywood=
=20
Entertainment clearing the way for Movie Gallery to proceed with its=20
accepted bid for Hollywood. Blockbuster cited regulatory concerns as the=20
main reason it wouldn't extend its $991 million offer to acquire Hollywood,=
=20
the third-largest video-store chain with 1,920 stores.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Joe Flint joe.flint( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111190652212190373,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
USAToday:=20
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050328/7b_blockbuster_28.ar...
m
CENSORSHIP IN THE SCIENCE MUSEUMS
[Commentary] A dozen or so Imax theaters, mostly in the South, have been=20
shying away from science documentaries that might offend Christian=20
fundamentalists. The danger in self-censorship by museums is that it will=20
reduce the already tiny world of Imax theaters available for big-screen=20
science documentaries. Producers have a hard time making money as it is. It=
=20
would be unfortunate if censorship by science museums helped drive them=20
away from topics that might offend religious fundamentalists.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/opinion/28mon3.html
(requires registration)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------
