1. Monthly archive
  2. June 2013

June 2013

News media must adapt to rebuild trust

[Commentary] Overall confidence in TV news, which was at 46% in 1993, is now 23%; conservatives' confidence is 18%, the lowest on record; and Republicans' is 16%. So what to do about this state of affairs, assuming that the broadcast networks really are interested in representing everybody's views?

  • First, hire some reporters and editors who understand how important it is for the media to be a watchdog on the government. Without such, after all, there really is no way of keeping an eye on our public servants. Hiring reporters who produce news stories that expose waste, inefficiency, and counterproductive results when they issue from governmental programs would be a nice counterpoint to the reports of "consumer affairs" and "environmental" reporters.
  • Second, use economic reporters with a marketplace perspective, rather than political reporters, more often on stories that are fundamentally economic in nature. "ObamaCare" is a good example. So are the numerous aspects of our current fiscal and monetary policies, from sequestration to the "Quantitative Easing" of the Federal Reserve.
  • Third, avoid the overuse of "horse race" journalism — who benefits politically — in stories about regulations and congressional legislation. Such perspectives may be of interest to politicians and political junkies, but they often fall short in explaining the nuts and bolts of complex policy issues.
  • Fourth, remember that journalism isn't a religion, with keepers of the faith, but a craft that operates in a marketplace of sources of information. Seen this way, it's a given that mainstream news be aimed at attracting and keeping the widest and most diverse audiences possible.

[Maines is the president of The Media Institute]

Want better news? Block Gannett-Belo deal

[Commentary] Local broadcasts are becoming simulcasts, with the same cookie-cutter content piped in from distant corporate headquarters, once-competitive stations combined into single newsrooms and fewer journalists forced to fill more hours of airtime. Could it get any worse? Oh, yes.

On June 13, Gannett announced a $2.2 billion acquisition of rival TV group Belo Corp. The deal would double the number of TV stations Gannett owns and make the company — already the nation’s largest newspaper publisher by circulation — the third-largest local TV chain in terms of revenue, according to BIA/Kelsey. In Seattle, Gannett would take over NBC affiliate KING 5, and its corporate footprint would cover the Northwest with stations in Spokane, Boise and Portland, plus the daily newspaper in Oregon’s capital city, Salem. Gannett would be even more dominant in other markets. The company would control the top two network affiliates in St. Louis; the daily newspaper and ABC station in Louisville; two stations plus a piece of the daily paper in Tucson; and three TV stations plus the daily Arizona Republic in Phoenix. That’s a massive amount of media power for one company. The FCC needs to end this charade. If the agency’s rules don’t allow mergers between these stations, then de facto mergers shouldn’t be allowed either. If that means breaking up a few big media companies along the way and stopping this deal, so be it. Want better local news? Blocking the Gannett-Belo deal would be a great way to start.
[Aaron is the president of Free Press]

Judge scrutinizes Facebook deal to end privacy lawsuit over ads

Child rights advocates tried to convince a U.S. judge that a Facebook legal settlement did not go far enough to keep content created by minors out of the hands of advertisers.

Five plaintiffs filed a proposed class action against Facebook in 2011, saying the social networking giant's "Sponsored Stories" program shared user's "likes" of certain advertisers without paying them or allowing them to opt out. The case has highlighted tension between privacy concerns and Facebook's drive to monetize user content. Under the terms of a proposed settlement, Facebook will pay $20 million to compensate class members, and promised to give users more control over how their content is shared - changes which plaintiff lawyers estimate to be worth up to $145 million. Facebook charged advertisers nearly $234 million for Sponsored Stories between January 2011 and August 2012, court filings show. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco preliminarily approved the settlement last year, but he still must give it a final sign-off.

Some States Won’t Wait for Congress to Pass Online Sales Tax

Not waiting for Congress to act on Internet sales taxes, some states are imposing a sales tax on online transactions starting July 1 by slapping levies on items like telephone ringtones, digital audio book downloads and music.

July 1 is the beginning of the fiscal year in most states, and the preferred start date for new or updated taxes. This year, legislatures changed tax rates on significant parts of the economy, including gasoline or fuel levies, sales taxes and property taxes. Perhaps the most innovative new taxes are in cyberspace. Minnesota is leading the way in moving the taxman into Internet sales, by imposing taxes on digital audio works like songs, readings of books, speeches, ring tones or other sound recordings.

Your TV is Spying on You

Political messaging is moving back to the living room. After an election in which Internet tactics seemed to captivate the public, political strategists are turning—or perhaps more accurately, returning—their attention to television advertising.

TV isn’t sexy. Or at least, it hasn’t been lately. But with coming developments in user tracking and Internet-ready appliances, that’s going to change. Even as more people ditch their traditional set-top boxes for online options like Netflix, Americans are actually watching more TV than they used to. Quality content is partly behind the surge. So is our growing appetite for binge-watching. But, as Netflix’s famous gamble with House of Cards revealed, it’s behavioral data that has the biggest potential to keep our eyes glued to the screen. As a result, just as Web-browsing data came to the aid of political campaigns in the last electoral cycle, so will our television-watching habits in the next.

Motorola Solutions quietly raising FirstNet alarms

Motorola Solutions is angling behind the scenes to knock the credibility of a major public safety wireless network that might end up eating into its bottom line.

The telecom company is lobbying firefighters and police officers to criticize FirstNet, the entity overseeing the new communications system, on the company’s behalf. And it’s supplied those first responders with a “sample letter” — a missive without any Motorola Solutions fingerprints — that alleges FirstNet disregards public safety needs, lacks transparency and suffers from serious conflicts of interest. Motorola’s maneuvering illustrates the early market battle surrounding the government’s more than $7 billion project to bring public-safety communications into the digital age. For the company, there’s plenty to lose: It’s long been dominant in providing legacy wireless devices to local first responders, and the creation of a new broadband data network might threaten its core business.

Time to Reclaim Your Name?

[Commentary] “Be Aware, and Beware, of COPPA” one headline blared this week. On July 1, updated rules for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) go into effect. The updated rules are a big part of a renewed recent interest in privacy. But revelations of the government’s data collection efforts have sparked a necessary and overdue debate on how to balance national security against citizens’ privacy rights.

USDA Invites Applications for Grants to Bring Improved Educational and Healthcare Services to Rural Communities

The Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for grants to provide access to education, training and healthcare resources in rural areas.

Funding is authorized through the Department's Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. The USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Under this notice, USDA may provide up to $17.5 million in grants. Funds can be used to buy equipment and provide technical assistance. To be eligible, applicants must serve a rural area, demonstrate economic need and provide at least 15 percent in matching funds. Awards range up to $500,000. In 2012, USDA Rural Development provided 58 DLT grants for projects in 36 states. Since the program began, 1,400 projects have been funded. Completed applications must be received by August 12, 2013.

National Coalition Urges Senator McCaskill to Support Lifeline Program

On June 27, a diverse coalition of more than 35 public interest, civil rights and community-based organizations sent a letter to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) highlighting the importance of the Lifeline program.

The signers include AARP, the Benton Foundation, the Center for Media Justice, Consumers Union, the Free Press Action Fund, SEIU Missouri State Council, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. Earlier this month, McCaskill sent her own letter to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, suggesting that President Obama’s ConnectED initiative could be supported by defunding the Lifeline program. Lifeline provides a modest subsidy for basic telephone service to our most vulnerable communities, including seniors, people with disabilities and struggling families. The groups reject the idea that funding for schools and libraries should come at the expense of the Lifeline program’s subscribers. The coalition’s letter explains that both programs are essential to advancing our nation’s broadband goals. “These two programs are complementary pathways to bringing connectivity to our country, and we believe that both are necessary if we are to eradicate the digital divide and reduce economic disparities,” the coalition wrote.

Weekly Digest

Time to Reclaim Your Name?

“Be Aware, and Beware, of COPPA” one headline blared this week. On July 1, updated rules for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) go into effect. The updated rules are a big part of a renewed recent interest in privacy. But revelations of the government’s data collection efforts have sparked a necessary and overdue debate on how to balance national security against citizens’ privacy rights.

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