News of the movement for December 21, 2012


Save the Internet

Web Freedom at a Crossroads: The Stakes Are High

Dubai represents a clear sign of a troubling global dynamic. We should be fully prepared for the debate over Internet freedom to come up again at events like the 2013 World Telecom Policy Forum in Geneva and the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in South Korea. The U.S. must and will continue to fight to preserve global Internet freedom. It won’t be easy, but it’s not optional. The stakes couldn't be higher.

Julius Genachowski, Politico

Behind Closed Doors at the U.N.'s Attempted 'Takeover of the Internet'

Though the world had been assured that the World Conference on International Telecom would not attempt to mount a “U.N. takeover of the Internet,” that was in many ways what happened.

Eli Dourado, Ars Technica

Instagramming Iran

Iran is not a huge fan of the Internet. The Iranian government has in recent years cracked down on Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and hundreds of independent websites and blogs -- and has even tried to create its own internal, state-sponsored version of the Web. Oddly, it has yet to train its crosshairs on Instagram, perhaps because the authorities don't yet view the hugely popular photo-sharing program, which isn't widely used in the country, as a threat.

Holly Dagres, Foreign Policy


Media Policy at the FCC

Waters to FCC: Don't Wade Into Ownership Just Yet

The FCC continues to solicit comment from the public on media ownership and diversity, and Rep. Maxine Waters gave a piece of her mind to the chairman.

John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable

Civil Liberties Groups Urge Senate to Debate Surveillance Bill

Civil liberties and privacy groups are urging the Senate to debate a handful of amendments aimed at beefing up the privacy protections in a controversial surveillance bill.

Jennifer Martinez, The Hill


Mobile and Beyond

Apps to Regulate Apps

Nobody ever said that big cities make for easy living. The apps of the moment, Uber and Airbnb, try to mitigate matters by letting you book a car ride or rent someone’s apartment using your smartphone or computer. They are beloved by those contemplating scarce taxis or $500 hotel rooms. But they’re considerably less popular among city regulators, whose reactions recall Ned Ludd’s response to the automated loom.

Tim Wu, New York Times

Apple Maps Three Times More Likely to Get You Lost Than Google Maps

How helpful is Apple Maps? Not very, according to a company that found Apple Maps is three times more likely to get someone lost than Google Maps.

Salvador Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times

Apple Begins Appeal in Renewed Bid to Ban Samsung Phones

Apple today told a U.S. district court judge in San Jose it would appeal her decision earlier this week not to ban sales of a number of Samsung phones.

Josh Lowensohn, CNet


Journalism and Beyond

Why the U.S. Media Ignored Murdoch's Brazen Bid to Hijack the Presidency

Did the Washington Post and others underplay the story due to fear of the News Corp. chairman -- or was it simply tin-eared judgment?

Carl Bernstein, The Guardian

In Social Media and Opinion Pages, Newtown Sparks Calls for Gun Reform

The shooting rampage in a Connecticut elementary school last week triggered a conversation different from those that followed other recent U.S. gun tragedies. In addition to an outpouring of emotion, social media and the opinion pages of newspapers were used immediately to tackle the polarizing issue of the nation's gun laws, according to a special report by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Pew Research Center

Predictions for Journalism 2013

To close out 2012, we asked some of the smartest people we know to predict what 2013 will bring for the future of journalism. Here’s what they had to say.

Nieman Journalism Lab

The New York Times Paywall Is Working Better Than Anyone Had Guessed

Ever since the New York Times rolled out its so-called paywall in March 2011, a perennial dispute has waged. Anxious publishers say they can’t afford to give away their content for free, while the blogger set claim paywalls tend to turn off readers accustomed to a free and open Web. More than a year and a half later, it’s clear the New York Times’ paywall is not only valuable, it’s helped turn the paper’s subscription dollars into a significant revenue-generating business.

Edmund Lee, Bloomberg News