MEDIA OWNERSHIP
The Media Companies' FCC Wishlist
INTERNET
Websites Vandalized With Antiwar Messages
Web Deluged after Iraq Attack
ACCESSIBILITY
Xerox Unveils Software for the Blind
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
THE MEDIA COMPANIES' FCC WISHLIST
[Commentary] Have corporate interests skewed media coverage of the =
military
conflict in Iraq? The Center for Digital Democracy=B9s Jeff Chester =
suggests
that they have. As media conglomerates lobby for relaxed rules on
cross-ownership, reports on the Bush administration=B9s diplomacy and =
military
efforts have lacked the critical angle incumbent upon the press. =
Chester
outlines the "wishlist" of major media company lobbying activities =
before
the FCC and urges readers to visit the FCC website to find out more =
about
actions taken by outlets in their area.
[SOURCE: AlterNet.org, AUTHOR: Jeff Chester]
(http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D15418)
INTERNET
WEBSITES VANDALIZED WITH ANTIWAR MESSAGES
As US and British troops rolled into Iraq, a Middle Eastern anti-war =
hacker
group known as the Unix Security Guards managed to deface hundreds of
websites in protest. According to the Internet security firm iDefense, =
the
Unix Security Guards successfully broke into at least 400 sites, =
covering
their homepages with slogans such as "We will do what we want to the
Internet" and "Viva Iraq!" Additionally, a growing number of email =
worms
have begun to spread, taking advantage in public interest in the war. =
The
Ganda virus, written by an anti-war group known as "VX Heavens," sends
potential victims an email that promises a screensaver featuring =
photographs
"taken by one of the US spy satellites during one of it's [sic] =
missions
over Iraq." The Lisa virus, which attacks users' Outlook email =
software,
arrives in your inbox as a seemingly innocuous request to check a "yes" =
box
and vote against the war.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62865-2003Mar20.html)
WEB DELUGED AFTER IRAQ ATTACK
Internet usage jumped to two or three times higher than normal on many
websites Thursday as Internet users flocked to cyberspace for the =
latest
news on the war in Iraq. Chinese citizens flooded online news sites,
skirting around government-controlled TV coverage of the war. Despite =
the
spike, Internet use didn't reach record levels, as many Americans =
navigated
between their computers and televisions to follow the story. "People =
are
still watching the television, and right now this is a visual thing," =
said
Eric Siegel, a consultant for Keynote Systems. "As more information =
appears
than they can get from the TV, people will turn to the Web." The UK =
Internet
service FreeServe said that traffic had tripled on its Iraq discussion
boards.=20
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,58138,00.html)
ACCESSIBILITY
XEROX UNVEILS SOFTWARE FOR THE BLIND
Xerox has launched digital copier software for the blind and visually
impaired, designed to allow those users to operate computers and make =
copies
without assistance. The software releases are the most recent step in
Xerox's accessible product line, which in the past has included Braille
keypads and footswitches. The move also makes the company's products
compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires =
that IT
products procured, produced or maintained by the US federal government =
to be
accessible to people with disabilities.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Dawn Kawamoto]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1012-993526.html)
----------------------------------------------------------------------