INTERNET
For A Net 'Gift,' Teens Will Share Wealth Of Family Info (USA)
Behind the Scenes on Health Web Sites (WP)
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
Two Internet Sites Ask for U.S. Ruling Concerning Web-Based
Political Activity (WSJ)
GOP Pressures Tech Firms to Help Michigan Senator (WP)
JOURNALISM
Washington Times Owner Buys UPI (WP)
Blacked Out in Sri Lanka (WP)
Newspaper Editors See Standards Slip Online (USA)
TELEPHONY
Phone Service Complaints Hit Record (USA)
FCC Proposes Streamlining Technical Rules for Customer Telephone
Equipment (FCC)
INTERNET
FOR A NET 'GIFT,' TEENS WILL SHARE FAMILY INFO
Issues: Privacy/Internet
According to a new study released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center,
children are apt to reveal private family information over the Web in
exchange for a free gift. In their survey of 1,001 parents and 304 kids,
Annenberg found that children ages 13 to 17 were most likely to reveal
information, while younger children were less likely. For example, 59% of
older children said it was okay to describe their parents' shopping habits,
compared with 43% of younger children. "Younger kids are intimidated and
scared, and they take that to the Web. But older kids have a better sense of
self, and they think they know what they're doing," explained Professor
Joseph Turow, author of the report. The study also reported that more than
60% of parents and children said they've discussed Internet privacy, though
46% of parents weren't aware that Web sites collect information without the
user's knowledge. (Electronic copy of the Annenberg Study:
http://www.appcpenn.org/finalrepor_fam.pdf)
[SOURCE: USA Today (7D), AUTHOR: Karen Thomas]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/lds010.htm)
BEHIND THE SCENES ON HEALTH WEB SITES
Issue: Health/Internet
More than 70 million Americans will go online this year in search health
information, but there is no telling the reliability of what they might
find. It is often very difficult to tell who is providing information, and
what the provider's ulterior motives might be. This is true for even the
most popular health-information sites. Take InteliHealth.com, a well
respected health site owned by Aetna U.S. Healthcare, for example. Nowhere
on the site is there any reference to the fact that it is owned by Aetna.
Health insurers may soon, in fact, become some of the most important
publishers of health information on the Web. As they learn to use the
Internet as a communication device with their patients they can save money
by giving customers information to manage their chronic conditions, even
interaction with care providers online. It remains to be seen however, how
reliable they are as information providers.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (HE14), AUTHOR: Craig Stoltz]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7407-2000May15.html)
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
TWO INTERNET SITES ASK FOR U.S. RULING CONCERNING WEB-BASED POLITICAL
ACTIVITY
Issue: Political Discourse
Two Web sites, Voter.com and Grassroots.com, are posing challenges to the
federal prohibition on corporate contributions to presidential and
congressional candidates by offering hyperlinks to candidate sites and
hosting campaign. Voter.com, a for-profit company that provides political
campaigns with tools and services to attract voters, wants the Federal
Election Commission (FEC) to declare them eligible to offer select services
for free. Grassroots.com, which generates much of its revenue from
advertising on it's recently acquired Dnet site, a comprehensive database of
federal, state and municipal politicians, also hosts candidate campaign
information. Both dot coms argue that their practices are nothing more than
free campaign advertising. And while the FEC has previously avoided to
regulate Internet political activity, the rise of e-commerce and the
financial power of Web-based companies may force the FEC to apply federal
campaign laws to the Internet.
[Source: Wall Street Journal Interactive, Author: Jim Vandehei and Glenn R.
Simpson ]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB958426382424550066.htm)
GOP PRESSURES TECH FIRMS TO HELP MICHIGAN SENATOR
Issue: Political Discourse
Reporting on an "exchange of e-mails obtained by the Washington Post," the
Post writes that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss) and Spencer
Abraham (R-Mich) encouraged Intel and other high-tech companies to
contribute money for radio and television spots to bolster Abraham's
campaign - at least in part because legislation favorable to the companies
would be stalled if they failed to do so. "I have heard that regardless of
our 'limitations', we need to do something for Abraham if we want to see
something moved in the Senate," wrote a lobbyist for Intel. "It must be
visible and soon." Responding to the email a lobbyist for Motorola said the
company could contribute $3000 (for a total of $7000). Both Lott and Abraham
acknowledge seeking help from the companies but say that Senate action on
tech worker visa legislation was not at issue.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A07), AUTHOR: Mike Allen]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/A8606-2000May15.html)
JOURNALISM
WASHINGTON TIMES OWNER BUYS UPI
Issue: Journalism/Mergers
News World Communications, Inc. bought the nearly bankrupt United Press
International (UPI) wire service yesterday. This new change of ownership
will be the seventh since 1992. UPI's new owner is controlled by the Rev.
Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church and voice behind the
Washington Time's editorials. UPI was founded in 1907 as the United Press.
It took on its present name and incarnation in 1957 when it merged with
William Randolph Hearst's International News Service. At its height, UPI
competed with the nonprofit Associated Press (AP) service, enjoying 1500
reporters and 200 bureaus around the world. However, the service has had
financial trouble nearly since inception. "Clearly, UPI has been in a
downward spiral for 30 years, but the Unification Church doesn't do these
things to make money," said John Morton, president of Morton Research Inc, a
VA-based media consulting firm.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7676-2000May15.html)
BLACKED OUT IN SRI LANKA
Issue: Censorship
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka has ordered
extensive censorship of the Sri Lanka press. The censorship declaration is
the second in a half-century of parliamentary democracy in Sri Lanka. The
president's measures require news agencies to submit their reports to an
official censor who can strike parts of a report or the whole report.
Descriptions of the Sri Lankan troops "beleaguered" have been censored, for
example. The restrictions also prevent travel for journalists to war zones,
ban political rallies, and restricts all but government news releases on the
army's battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Jaffna
peninsula. Journalists who defy the ban risk arrest or deportation. Many
agencies are sending reports to offices in other countries to be filed.
Kumaratunga has called the measures "purely temporary."
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A14), AUTHOR: Pamela Constable]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6710-2000May15.html)
NEWSPAPER EDITORS SEE STANDARDS SLIP ONLINE
Issue: Internet/Journalism
A recent study by Janna Anderson, a journalism instructor at Elon College,
and University of Memphis professor David Arant, concludes that understaffed
and rushed online newspapers fail to uphold the same ethical standards as
their offline counterparts. Of the 203 editors surveyed, 47% "agreed that
the ability to publish information immediately online has led to an erosion
of the standards of verification." And 30% said online outlets aren't as
likely to follow general ethical standards of journalism as are traditional
papers.
[SOURCE: USAToday (3D), AUTHOR: Janet Kornblum]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000516/2265150s.htm)
TELEPHONY
PHONE SERVICE COMPLAINTS HIT RECORD COMPETITION EBBING, SOME CRITICS SAY
Issue: Telephony
As the two major long-distance carriers, AT&T and MCI/WorldCom, continue to
gobble up even larger shares of the U.S. market, consumers are lodging more
complaints than ever. If WorldCom acquires No.3 carrier Sprint, as
speculated, then AT&T and WorldCom will control a combined 80% of the
consumer long-distance. Consumer advocates and some analysts fear that the
deal might only worsen the situation for consumers' by eroding competitive
pressure to reduce rates and improve service. "Competition in the
long-distance market is already less than vibrant for the average consumer,"
says Gene Kimmelman of Consumer's Union. One of consumer's main complaints
is slamming, which is when a customer's long-distance carrier is changed
without their knowledge, the Federal Communications Commission says. Other
complaints, such as cramming, long waits to reach customer service,
difficulties resolving disputes, and high minimum charges for people who
rarely make long-distance calls are also on the rise. In Texas, for example,
complaints against AT&T rose 35% in the first half of 1999, while complaints
against MCI and WorldCom nearly tripled.
[SOURCE: USAToday (3B), AUTHOR: Shawn Young]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000516/2264111s.htm)
FCC PROPOSES STREAMLINING TECHNICAL RULES FOR CUSTOMER TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT
Issue: Telephony
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) to privatize the process for developing technical
standards for and approval of customer telephone equipment also known as
customer premises equipment (CPE), which includes devises such as
telephones, faxes and modems. The proposed rules highlight the commission's
biennial regulatory review to eliminate unnecessary regulations as
competition increases in telecom markets.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2000/nrcc0027.html)
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