A Service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Free Press Drumming Up Online Support for Media Ownership Rollback
Senators Sound Off about Radio Ownership Rules
E-GOVERNMENT
MIT Launches Web Database on Government
TECHNOLOGY
The Lure of Data: Is It Addictive?
DIGITAL DIVIDE
McDonalds in Cyberspace
OneWorld Case Study: Indev
PHILANTHROPY
As Companies Shave Aid, Nonprofits Suffer the Sting
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FREE PRESS DRUMMING UP ONLINE SUPPORT FOR MEDIA OWNERSHIP ROLLBACK
Public interest groups are mobilizing to support legislation aimed at
rolling back the FCC's new media ownership rules. Free Press has taken to
the Web in an attempt to persuade individuals to contact their members of
Congress. "Because one million Americans raised their voices against the FCC
decision," Congress took the initiative to consider repealing the rules,
said Free Press co-founder Robert McChesney in a statement. "The time is now
for Congress to pick up the FCC's slack, listen to the people and vote for
media diversity." Free Press has set up a website where concerned
constituents can learn about the issue and find out which legislators to
contact.
SOURCE: MediaReform.Network
http://www.mediareform.net/index.php
SENATORS SOUND OFF ABOUT RADIO OWNERSHIP RULES
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Education held a hearing
yesterday to discuss the effects of further consolidation in the radio
industry. Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) shared other members'
concern over Cumulus Media's decision last spring to ban country act The
Dixie Chicks from its stations following an anti-war comment from the
groups' lead singer. "To restrain their trade because they exercised their
right to free speech to me is remarkable ... and it's a strong argument
about what media concentration has the possibility of doing," McCain said.
Cumulus President Lewis Dickey, Jr. defended the company's action, noting
the "groundswell of negative reaction" by their listeners and assign that
Cumulus Top 40-formatted stations retained the band on their playlists.
Music industry executive Simon Renshaw said that consolidation has hurt
artists and record labels by giving too much control and influence to radio
stations and media companies -- a claim Cumulus Media's Dickey contested.
McCain sponsored an amendment to a bill passed last month by the committee
to apply the new radio ownership limits to stations a company already owns,
which would require divestiture of stations by companies exceeding the
ownership limits in certain markets.
SOURCE: The Olympian; AUTHOR: Jennifer C. Kerr (AP)
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20030709/business/47250.shtml
E-GOVERNMENT
MIT LAUNCHES WEB DATABASE ON GOVERNMENT
On Friday, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab will debut a
new website called "Government Information Awareness." Its creators hope it
will become a massive clearinghouse of information, pooling the collective
wisdom of government watchdogs and serving as a tool to counter new
government technologies that are being used to track information about
citizens. GIA's name and mission are a kind of inversion of the Pentagon's
$20 million "Terrorism Information Awareness" project. "It seemed very odd
that the same level of effort isn't spent working on technologies that help
citizens understand the government's links, networking and influences," said
Ryan McKinley, 26, the graduate student behind the project. GIA will rely
largely on users to contribute information, such as a senator's voting
patterns or a politician's potential conflicts of interest. It is likely
that much of the content posted will be inaccurate or unfair, but GIA hopes
the useful, fair information will "rise to the top." McKinley says he
believes that the technology will police itself, as users have the
opportunity to rank postings for credibility.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Star; AUTHOR: Justin Pope
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/5/055645-6705-031.html
TECHNOLOGY
THE LURE OF DATA: IS IT ADDICTIVE?
To some, online multitasking is time saving, liberating and satisfying; to
others it is a social annoyance, counterproductive, or even addictive.
Harvard professor Edward Hallowell and psychiatrist John Ratey have coined
the term "pseudo-attention deficit disorder" for those who have developed
shorter attention spans due to technology and the pace of modern life.
Multitasking may actually hinder productivity, according to the research of
David Meyer, psychology professor at the University of Michigan. Patrick
Gelsinger, chief technology officer at Intel, scoffs at the idea of
technology use as compulsive or addictive behavior. However, at times he
has had to remind himself not to use email during a meeting because it can
send a message that he is not paying full attention. Bruce Mehlman,
Assistant Commerce Department Secretary for Technology Policy and a former
Cisco executive, says that digital devices allow people to leave the office
and spend more time at home. Charles Lax, a venture capitalist, says he
would get bored if he unwired himself long enough to focus on one thing.
Technology can be distracting, "but it's not a problem," he said. "Being
able to process lots of data allows me to be more efficient and productive."
SOURCE: New York Times; AUTHOR: Matt Richtel
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/business/yourmoney/06WIRE.html
DIGITAL DIVIDE
MCDONALDS IN CYBERSPACE
Two McDonald's restaurant franchises in Chicago are already offering
wireless Internet access, while McDonald's corporate wireless initiative is
only available in select stores in New York and San Francisco. Paul Bias
equipped his three South Side McDonald's stores with high-speed access a
year ago, and now offers classes there on Saturday mornings. Phil Douglas
wired his store near the Dan Ryan expressway and recently opened a computer
center. Both efforts are meant to help close the digital divide for African
Americans, who lag behind the overall wired population (52 percent) in the
Chicago area. According to Keenan Davis, CEO of Unorthodoks Marketing, the
personal computer industry has largely ignored blacks in terms of marketing.
"It's not a money issue," he said. "The community spends tons of money on
clothing and two-way pagers . . . The fact of the matter is that computers
were not seen as cool."
SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times; AUTHOR: Cheryl Jackson
http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-mac09.html
ONEWORLD CASE STUDY: INDEV
Publishing the latest essay in a series of case studies exploring
information and communications technologies in civil society programs around
the world, OneWorld.net and the Digital Opportunity Channel profile Indev,
the India Information Development Network. Indev is an initiative of the
British Council to address problems faced by NGOs when it comes to accessing
development information on India. Indev uses tools such as the
Itrainonline.org website, with its collection of IT training tools, to
enhance their training workshops.
SOURCE: Digital Opportunity Channel
http://www.digitalopportunity.org/fulltext/casestudies.shtml
PHILANTHROPY
AS COMPANIES SHAVE AID, NONPROFITS SUFFER THE STING
Corporate philanthropy to nonprofits continues to slide, with several
companies opting to send volunteers, products or services in lieu of
dollars. "This is the worst I've seen it in the 9 1/2 years I have been
here," said Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington executive director
Jennifer Cover Payne. Analysts note that Washington, DC-area companies had
increased their contribution over the five-year period ending in 2001
despite the economic downturn. But donations were down 10 percent in 2002 --
suggesting that the worst is yet to come. As corporate donors stretch their
resources across a broader base, increased competition for those funds has
led nonprofits to seek out new sources where their traditional donors have
left them hanging.
SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Jacqueline L. Salmon
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13758-2003Jul5.html
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