August 2009

Now in its 66th year, one of the world's oldest news photo competitions, "Pictures of the Year International" (POYI), enjoys new life in the just-opened Annenberg Space for Photography, here in the backyard of the entertainment industry. The arresting images tell their own stories: a woman whose face has been melted by acid, Michael Phelps's hair's-breadth win in the Beijing Olympics, the aftermath of the China earthquake. At the same time, the exhibition itself is a good lens through which to view the swiftly evolving field of photojournalism, say photographers, educators, and industry analysts. "We're moving into what I would call a golden age of photojournalism," says William Snyder, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, who points to the "amazing proliferation of opportunities for visual storytellers to ply their trade." These range from self-publishing on the Internet to the explosion of reality-based entertainment. This may seem paradoxical in an era of newspapers and magazines downsizing and disappearing "with discouraging frequency," says Mr. Snyder. At the same time, he adds, the overall culture has become saturated with visuals. Beyond that, the flowering of reality television and the overall cultural premium placed on real-time information has opened the way for a greater appreciation of the sometimes unsettling realities that lie at the heart of good photojournalism, he says. "Reality is popular now in a way that it certainly wasn't in the early days of photojournalism."

[Commentary] Last week the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan team held a 90-minute town hall meeting with well over 100 participants, covering 16 sets of questions and allowed for participation via the Internet and a phone bridge. All in a day's work, you know. The workshop also included powerful remarks from Special Observers Kareem Dale, the President's Special Assistant for Disability Policy, and Marcie Roth, Senior Advisor, Disabilities Issues at FEMA. Chairman Genachowski and Commissioner Copps were also on hand. The format allowed the FCC to hear from a large number of thoughtful, knowledgeable, and passionate people who care deeply that the agency get this right. The FCC heard comments from the disability community, industry, academia, and government about today's broadband marketplace, the potential that broadband holds for people with disabilities, and strategies for achieving full access. The workshop covered a lot of topics in a short time, some of which include: universal design and the importance of considering accessibility early in the design and development phase; the challenges of interoperability; what companies are currently doing to make their products and support services accessible; consumer needs; technological advances that may drive the increased use of broadband by people with disabilities; sources of funding that could promote greater usage; how we should define broadband; the role of industry consortium in promoting accessibility; the role of government and regulation; and the need to include a principle of inclusion in the National Broadband Plan.

The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department have given their blessings for Sprint-Nextel's planned $483 million merger with Virgin Mobile USA. The deal could still be subject to review by the Federal Communications Commission, which has yet to issue a public notice on the matter. Virgin Mobile holds a small number of international licenses, which need to be transferred and require approval by the FCC

The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan workshops remain flexible -- more workshops and panelists are being and will be added "as people speak to us and as we see a need." Riffing on the 12 Days of Christmas, Blair Levin, who is leading the FCC's efforts, ticked off a list that was headlined by 15 participants from small and disadvantaged businesses and ended with "one each from the analyst world, legal, retail and the web." One critic replied that, even using Levin's list, by his count there were still "76 of 110" with "direct or indirect ties to industry," or 69%. And if just the workshops focused on policy were broken out, the number plummeted to 3%. "The comment that there has to be an absolute balance between Consumer Federation or Consumers Union and every provider, I just think that is unrealistic," says FCC spokesman Mark Wigfield. "If you are going to talk about broadband you have to talk to people who are providing broadband. What it shows is that we have got people providing broadband from many different corners of the broadband world.