Media Reform Headlines for March 14, 2008 Resent-Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:38:08 -0500 (CDT) Media Reform Daily http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=ZVrJfsNsg0lRjgQB17gOYw.. Headlines for media activists, scholars and producers, March 14, 2008. A service of Free Press, online at http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=igRkZI5YnhCzXrKgxzyNVg.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- STOP BIG MEDIA House Lawmakers Take Aim at U.S. Media A week after a group of senators introduced a similar measure, five House lawmakers introduced a "Resolution of Disapproval" aimed at nullifying new media ownership rules approved FCC. Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=oYJx13dUF8hON68WMpliUw.. House Members Take Up Resolution of Disapproval to Overturn FCC Media Rules A bipartisan group of five House members filed companion legislation to the Senate's "Resolution of Disapproval" to overturn the FCC's ruling to relax the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership bill. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2UnQPTAiin58CPZSAKq1mw.. Momentum Builds for FCC Veto on Capitol Hill Pressure is mounting against the FCC because of the way it handled media ownership; for its refusal to address the crisis in female and minority ownership; and for its flawed and biased process that consistently serves Wall Street instead of Main Street. Josh Stearns, StopBigMedia.com http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=IWLvEvC6RzEVmOHjNZdVtg.. Deal Seen Coming into Focus on Clear Channel's TV Sale An affiliate of Providence Equity Partners acknowledged a settlement is possible in a contentious lawsuit over a sale of Clear Channel's television stations. Shira Ovide, Wall Street Journal http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Act8SfdxJO0WJq2U9AZbSA.. ACT NOW! Tell Congress to Stop the FCC Visit http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=IejxwITWBTrvD5hBHC-pRQ.. POLICY: IN CONGRESS House Rejects Immunity in Eavesdropping Bill After its first secret session in a quarter-century, the House rejected retroactive immunity for the phone companies that took part in the NSA's illegal spying program, and it voted to place greater restrictions on the government's wiretapping powers. Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Democrats Plan Last-Minute FISA Vote Before Congress departs for its spring recess at week's end, the U.S. House of Representatives is trying to squeeze in a vote on what's shaping up as one of the most contentious bills this year. Anne Broache, CNet http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=u7mSkIdDmGjqpEpZbGSZrA.. House Debates Terrorism Surveillance in Rare Private Session The House held a closed session for the first time in 25 years to discuss a contested terrorism surveillance bill. Associated Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=k0FUcAO_43iaW9RzG5pOgg.. Bush, Democrats Clash over New Spy Bill, Immunity House lawmakers defied President George W. Bush and moved ahead with an anti-terror spy bill that allows lawsuits against telephone companies that illegally spied on Americans. Thomas Ferraro and Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=f5WVSx47MXIbLzo9D27uSg.. Should Telecom Titans Be Given Retroactive Legal Immunity for Spying? Telecom companies have absolutely no business simply surrendering such private information to the government or anyone else without an appropriate warrant. Bob Willliams, HearUsNow.org http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=UugZz9sZRzyGbKlQOabGag.. FCC's Complaint Handling Criticized Congressional investigators chastised the FCC for poor recordkeeping, which they said made it difficult to find out why most consumer complaints about telemarketers, indecent TV broadcasts and other matters were dismissed. Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=_2FrRkeFSvQtKllxHC8yhQ.. House GOP Aide: Martin Probe Honors Tradition Top House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are supporting the Democratic-led investigation of the Republican-controlled FCC to honor the panel's bipartisan tradition when probing the actions of independent agencies, say staffers. Ted Hearn, Multichannel News http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=jlDIKLICeFusNLI8ExBwUA.. SAVE THE INTERNET Bill Gates' Vision for the Future Bill Gates called the FCC's decision to auction off available public spectrum rather than allocating some of the airwaves to white space technology short-sighted. He said the technology could expand Wi-Fi signals and connect more people to broadband. Kim Hart, Washington Post http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=8Bzaj158A2zigZ1Wgp1iMw.. Gates Urges U.S. to Free Up More Spectrum for Wi-Fi Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates urged U.S. communications regulators to free up more vacant television airwaves to be used for wireless services such as broadband Internet access. Peter Kaplan, Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2oQItZPMvTUlqm7B3a6ThQ.. Verizon Gets Cozy with P2P File-Sharers Verizon is collaborating with researchers at Yale University and a group of companies that make file-sharing software to enable faster downloads for consumers and lower costs for participating ISPs. Peter Svensson, Associated Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=LqCMzO8NvIOet5q4buoeOQ.. Broadband Fight Pits Corporations Against Users, Internet Future at Stake Instead of expanding the pipes of the Internet, companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Time Warner have chosen to invest in acquiring smaller companies, amassing power and influence so they can dictate terms to the government and broadband users. dvice.com http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=sUpR9QzUaYINoj9DLPuv_Q.. BitTorrent CEO: Rethinking Media Store, No Business Impact from Comcast Comcast's blocking of BitTorrent doesn't seem to be hampering the file-sharing company's business. BitTorrent has plans for a new distribution service and a deal to have its software pre-installed on consumer devices is in the works. Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=WjpPeCES-KE_5zaMusTH-Q.. ACT NOW! Support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act Visit http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=DUzwyoCDMvCL3TN-lhVCZw.. JOURNALISM AND BEYOND Appalling Spread of False Information Requires Stronger Media Accountability A new study documents 935 false statements by President Bush and seven top officials of his administration, and notes that much of the media coverage provided additional "validation" of the administration's false statements about Iraq. Mark Weisbrot, Alternet http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=M0lqfPfVzV1jwq1nXxQTkw.. Locy, Former 'USA Today' Reporter, Using Her 'Anthrax' Contempt Case to Teach Students Toni Locy, the former USA Today reporter who's facing potential massive fines for refusing to reveal her sources to a federal judge, says the situation is actually aiding her in teaching media law to her students at West Virginia University. Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=jQ7K_efJZnO-mzeWmsmhQQ.. The Revolution Will Be Digitized The Media Mobilizing Project in Philadelphia is working to bring grassroots organization into the 21st century. Doron Taussig, Philadelphia City Paper http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=3q0D-qxOT7wgozej8bQqtA.. Texas Sheriff Threatens Reporters with Jail When the Duval County sheriff said he would lock up reporters from local newspapers if they kept "interfering" in his business, no one took the threat lightly. Associated Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=cTgwewrZSUK3iTIx9cgVCw.. Bad News Travels Fast, and Furiously Compared with the pre-Internet era, politicians are less likely than ever to survive a sex scandal with their careers intact. The Internet connects people to news that they would never have known about just a few years ago. Paul Farhi, Washington Post http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=uFdFREcN5aWxRhCpnGcRqg.. OTHER NEWS FROM TODAY CBS' Leslie Moonves Eyes Acquisitions After a few modest acquisitions the past few years, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves indicated that the company is very much in the mood for a big purchase. He's targeting content companies, broadcast outfits and new-media concerns. Michael Malone, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=12oU3SDuuvVNh_39fBjo-g.. Union Made Did CWA have any idea what the statewide video franchising bill would do to PEG in Indiana? Did they even care? They should have, because if a union gets any TV coverage, it's probably only been seen on public access stations. Bunnie Riedel, Telecommunications Blog http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=4LtTrAdHmA3vHybVZi2F8g.. For the Networks, Television's Future Is Online A new business model for TV networks is still very much a work in progress. But new projects show an attempt to adapt to the world of new media. Gloria Goodale, Christian Science Monitor http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=ln2MDNuFTTRYAxaZn2Bvzg.. Gates: TV to Become Targeted Medium Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said he expects the next decade to bring even greater technological leaps than the past 10 years. He expects TV to be delivered via the Internet. Matthew Barakat, Associated Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=L91LMenanFpJOCAnV5Dnjw.. NPR Grapples with the Prospect of a Post-Radio Future National Public Radio hasn't wanted to undercut local stations' fundraising by giving fans another way to hear the programs via the Internet. But that could change, as NPR considers whether to fully embrace "new media" technology. Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=st_uHe5jo-cycTvcKUPznA.. Boucher Bill Would Use Spectrum-Auction Funds for Converter Boxes Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said he will introduce legislation to take money from the FCC's 700 MHz spectrum auction to help pay for more digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes. John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=EVoI-v_SxtvE-QhPm0hgaA.. The Music Industry, Adapting to a Digital Future Writer Eliot Van Buskirk of Wired.com joins NPR's Fresh Air to discuss the new, digital landscape of music, and the resulting changes in the music industry. (Audio 26:25) National Public Radio http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Rnd0RQTcidtuo2Jz38Rj9Q.. What Will Media Buying Look Like in 10 Years? In a fragmented media landscape, content matters more than ever, said Jim Poh, VP-director of creative content distribution for Crispin, Porter & Bogusky. Megan McIlroy , AdAge.com http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=7VKgOXmcn8Ci-PP6iC2WLw.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of these articles are copyrighted material. We make such material available to advance understanding of public issues, which we believe constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Free Press is a national organization working to increase informed public participation in crucial media policy debates. 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