JOURNALISM
At Knight Ridder, Good Journalism vs. the Bottom Line (NYT)
Faint Voices Rise From Cuba (Wired)
CONTENT
Fears of a Website Inquisition (Wired)
No Internet Filtering Is Sex Harassment For Librarians - EEOC
(Newsbytes)
INTERNET
Home Broadband Nearly Doubles In Six Months (Newsbytes)
Federal Online Sales Soar (USA)
JOURNALISM
AT KNIGHT RIDDER, GOOD JOURNALISM VS. THE BOTTOM LINE
Issue: Journalism
The Knight Ridder company, like the rest of the newspaper industry these
days, is grappling with the challenge of practicing journalism in an
economic Maelstrom. Part of the difficulty stems from a fundamental and
still unresolved clash of corporate cultures that has existed since two very
different companies merged nearly 27 years ago. Some of Knight Ridder's
editorial staff question the ability of chief executive, Tony Ridder, to
choose between the mission of quality journalism - the historic heart of
Knight Newspapers - and the relentless pressures of financial performance,
which was the priority of Ridder Publications. "I would still rather work
for Knight Ridder than most of the other newspaper organizations that I know
about," said Jim Houston, a long-time reporter at The Columbus
Ledger-Enquirer. "I just wish it didn't have this nagging question about
commitment to the journalism side."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Felicity Barringer]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/29/business/29PAPE.html)
(requires registration)]
FAINT VOICES RISE FROM CUBA
Issue: Journalism
Many independent reporters in Cuba are looking to the Internet as a way to
practice journalism. More than 100 independent journalists defy government
restrictions by filing their articles on overseas websites, giving the world
a glimpse into alternatives perspectives on life on island. Unfortunately,
few Cubans have access to the Internet, which is basically limited to
communist officials, researchers and tourists. Another problem with the
alternative press in Cuba is that many independent reporters lack experience
and good journalistic models -- the only journalism they know is the
government press, which has its own slant. "A lot of them have never worked
for the free press before," said Charles H. Green, the director of the
International Media Center at Florida International University. "They don't
understand how a free press really works and don't understand the idea of
balance."
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Julia Scheeres]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,44045,00.html)
CONTENT
FEARS OF A WEBSITE INQUISITION
Issue: Freedom of speech
The proposed "Law of Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce"
(LSSI) in Spain is raising fierce opposition from civil libertarians who
argue the legislation would smother free speech and compared it to the
failed Communications Decency Act in the U.S. The law would require Web
sites to register with the government and mandate Internet Service Providers
to regulate content by reporting suspected illegal activity. Hosting
companies that fail to comply would face fines of up to the equivalent of
$150,000. The Spanish government could also shut down Web sites and seize
their content and activity logs. "If the (law) is passed, freedom of
expression in the Internet will be as limited as it is in countries like
China, Vietnam or Saudi Arabia," said attorney Carlos S