Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

AFP: Blogger jailed in Anna Nicole Smith defamation suit

Monday, June 1st, 2009

HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) - A real estate agent in Houston who blogged about Anna Nicole Smith was jailed for contempt last week in a defamation case brought by the late Playboy model's mother. Legal experts said bloggers are increasingly the targets of such litigation, which are testing the bounds of free ...

AFP: Swedish pirates have wind in their sails for EU vote

Monday, June 1st, 2009

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - A Swedish party which wants an Internet filesharing free-for-all, the Pirate Party, could become one of the surprise new entrants to the European parliament this week. The party, which also wants to beef up Internet privacy, was founded in January 2006 and quickly attracted members angered by controversial ...

Man bites dog, a new version

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

From Lakbima, 08/05/2009

AP: Murdoch leads charge to get readers to pay online

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) - As US newspapers shrivel up and die, an unlikely figure is emerging as their potential savior: News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch. The much-villified Australian-born media tycoon is preparing to battle against the practice many hold largely responsible for newspapers' current plight -- the "original sin" of giving away ...

AP: New venture aims to introduce fees for online news

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO -Three media veterans plan to bundle the Internet content of newspaper and magazine publishers into a subscription package that will test Web surfers' willingness to pay for material that has been given away for years. The system won't be ready until the fall, but the plans were announced late ...

Suicide bomber: mistaken identity

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Divaina newspaper on March 13, 2009 had to apologise for a photograph which it published (apparently in its provincial edition/s) few days back claiming that the severed head in the picture was of the suicide bomber responsible for bomb blast in Matara. The apology was not for publishing the severed ...

UN FAO becomes ‘good’

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

It seems after all allegations against the UN system, that the UN has commenced an image building exercise. First item on the agenda seems to be turning some of its agencies good... [caption id="attachment_92" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Printer's Devil makes FAO a good organisation"][/caption] Sunday Observer on March 22, 2009 published this ...

It’s not cricket

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Sanjana Hattotuwa in latest issue of Groundviews critiques the differences between the media coverage on the attack on the cricket team and the coverage on the humanitarian situation in the Wanni in It's not cricket: "...there was no shortage of genuine concern for the safety and security of our cricketers. The ...

Internet, before it becomes an illusion

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Sanath Siriwardena writes in Daily News, March 11, 2009 as follows: Sri Lanka needs a national policy for Internet "...Broadband is so important and vital, and could play an effective role in the developing process. This is the reason why most countries in the world have taken interest to develop standalone policy for ...

Wanted: ’survival strategies’ for dying US newspapers (AFP)

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The fate of US newspapers is in the news as journalists, editors, bloggers, media pundits and concerned citizens debate the future of the troubled industry. "How to Save Your Newspaper," is the cover story in Time in which Walter Isaacson, a former managing editor of the magazine, revives ...