Archive for the ‘Media issues’ Category
An ‘abiding distrust’ for anonymous speech
Here’s a really good article from Dan Gillmor defending the use of pseudonyms and anonymity on the web — even in the light of Tom MacMaster’s Amina ‘Gay Girl in Damascus’ hoax… Sounding real is not the same as being real. The fake Amina’s blog was especially well done, with details that sounded authentic even to native […]
More fakery on the internet. (So what’s new?)
A part of me wasn’t surprised this morning to discover the ‘lesbian’ ‘Syrian’ pro-democracy blogger supposedly ‘abducted’ by ‘security forces’ last week was actually a 40 year old American man called Tom MacMaster living in Scotland. My Twitter feed this morning was full of vitriol and disappointment about this imposter Tom MacMaster who provoked support […]
Nothing to hide but NOT nothing to fear
Here’s a good article on privacy by Daniel J Solove, who I last referred to when sharing some thoughts in my post Is it worth dishonestly defending a reputation? No. Solove’s article is called Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’ — it’s a preview of his next book, and it’s a worthwhile […]
Harsh criticism? Or Fair?
Spotted this from Glenn Greenwald re TV personality Chris Matthews … Now, as I replied, some might see such a strident comment about a fellow ‘peer in the industry’ as ill-motivated unprofessional. Not me. I think someone paying attention to the ‘industry’ (like, in this case Greenwald) is obliged to highlight what you see as […]
‘Frivolous’ Palin won’t be meeting Margaret Thatcher
Litmus test/IQ test Little Miss Polarising Sarah Palin faced a wee knock-back in her [alleged] efforts to ride The Iron Lady’s coat-tails … Margaret Thatcher to Sarah Palin: don’t bother dropping by — The Guardian, Wintour and Watt blog: It would appear that the reasons go deeper than Thatcher’s frail health. Her allies believe that […]
Negative credibility
Ha! I like this concept … Writing on The Guardian‘s Comment is free website — Andrew Breitbart and the unwilling suspension of disbelief about the right wing web maven who ‘exposed’ Rep. Weiner — Dan Gillmor referred to his model of ‘negative credibility‘ and included this neat graphic: Gillmor’s article is worth reading, as, like the erudite j-school […]
A cost of doing business – celebrity as meat
Good to read that Murdoch’s The News of the World has admitted hacking Sienna Miller’s phone message system and repeatedly violating her privacy … and news today that they’ve ‘apologised’ and are paying £100,000 in damages and costs to her. Big deal. Callous so-and-sos. It was purely business to them, the journalists, the editors, the […]
There’s no denying Sarah Palin is a talking point
I’ve resisted referring to Sarah Palin’s latest, umm, riff on American history, wherein she inserted words, actions, motivations and personnel into Paul Revere’s midnight ride … errr, he warned the British that ‘the British are coming’? PALIN: He who warned, uh, the British that they weren’t going to be taking away our arms uh by […]
Self-inflicted wounds
Hey. Remember my post Lying, my dear boy, just compounds the crime …? This whole ‘Congressman tweets picture of private parts’ hullaballoo proves the truth of it, huh? Oh boy. A journalist I follow on Twitter, Glenn Greenwald, asked the question: What % of those pushing the view that “any online sexual activity is newsworthy” […]
As part of this settlement, you agree not to tell the truth …
This clause, apparently an excerpt from a settlement between the borrower-victims of a mortgage issued by GE as part of the Blue Chip scandal, reminds me of something … “The borrowers agree not to comment adversely about the mortgagee or any member of the General Electric group of companies whether in New Zealand or elsewhere, […]
Sarah Palin … who’s taking who for a ride?
This put it nicely. No one is fooled, really. But the conventions and protocols of “reporting” requires pretending otherwise. Contrary to a lot of our readers, I don’t think the answer is for the media to ignore Palin. Pointing out her ridiculousness doesn’t build her up and doesn’t give her oxygen without which she would […]
Dick Quax heir apparent no more
Final result THE full result of the Howick ward by-election for Auckland Council is: • Dick Quax (C&R): 11,600 • Maggie Burrill (Ind): 7023 • David Collings (Ind): 5393 • Penny Bright (Ind): 1491 • Wayne Young (Ind): 1349 • Ram Parkash: 1116 A total of 28,072 votes were cast, or 30.9 per cent of […]
Bradley Manning – out of place in the US army?
The Guardian has produced a video of their investigation into the background of accused WikiLeaks source/security leaker Bradley Manning, showing he was (apparently) regarded as mentally and socially unfit to be deployed to Iraq. It reveals that Manning’s discharge from the army prior to deployment to Baghdad was reversed because of the severe shortage of […]
Another unflattering profile of propagandist Roger Ailes
The next issue (June 2011) of Rolling Stone features an extensive profile of Fox News supremo Roger Ailes. The guy fascinates me — well, better said, his tactics do — it’s really good to read some hard-out comments about the lack of veracity but enormous influence of Fox News and their propaganda machine. It’s like […]
Who needs CCTV surveillance cameras?
I really hope I don’t blow anyone’s cover or alibi by telling you I spotted this vanity number plate GNUINE on a car at Pakuranga Plaza this afternoon. Given that we occasionally discuss quirky number plates here now and then, and that I’ve been writing an article about some people who I have discovered seem […]
