Category Archives: front page

In a rare move last week, 38  journalism and open government groups signed onto a letter calling for President Barack Obama to allow for easier access to federal government information. Those groups include the voices of the student press and those who teach and advise them. Journalism educator groups the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the Journalism Education Association and student press advocacy groups including the Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Association and Student Press Law Center were among the groups signing. The letter details complaints that include:

• Weeks and sometimes months of delays getting fundamental, important government information to reporters, and thus, the public.
•  Forcing journalists to go through Public Information Offices (PIO) for information.
• PIO, in turn, not responding or delaying in providing information or providing “slick non-answers” to questions.
• Forbidding federal employees from talking to journalists directly.
• Forcing journalists to hand in interview questions in advance of the interview.

The letter notes that journalists have not always had these problems. It states:

In many cases, this is clearly being done to control what information journalists – and the audience they serve – have access to. A survey found 40 percent of public affairs officers admitted they blocked certain reporters because they did not like what they wrote.

I urge you to read the letter. Problems with receiving public information is not only a federal government problem, it is a state problem. The public has a right to know what its government is doing. Withholding information prevents the public from holding its government accountable for its actions, good or bad.

John Robinson, editor of The News and Record in Greensboro, N.C., tweeted a link to a video about the “consolidation” of copy desks by Media General.

This video is a beautiful, but sad tribute to copy editors and all that they do made all the sadder by the fact that many companies don’t value them at all and think merging copy desks will not mean any content changes, just money savings.

You find yourself troubled by politicians using others’ works without permission.

You may ask yourself, “What is wrong with them?”

You may tell yourself these politicians do not represent you.

“Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.”

Forgive me, Talking Heads, for my horrible parody of “Once in a Lifetime.” At least I am acknowledging it and being clear you had nothing to do with it — unlike a certain political candidate in Florida.

David Byrne, former singer of Talking Heads, is suing Florida Gov. Charlie Christ for using “Road to Nowhere” in a campaign commercial without his permission. Byrne is seeking $1 million.

Sadly, Christ is not the only one accused of stealing intellectual property. According to the Washington Post, Idaho Congressional Candidate Vaughn Ward, who has Sarah Palin’s support, is accused of plagiarizing an Obama speech.

See for yourself. The evidence is unbelievably damning.

The Media Law Case of the Week features the little guy taking on a big restaurant chain.

Jim Karagas opened My Brother’s Bar 30 years ago in Denver, according to the Denver Business Journal. Now a chain of restaurants called Brothers Bar and Grill wants to open an eatery in Denver, and it has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court asking for permission to use “Brothers” in its name. Karagas says he is worried about confusion.

Here’s hoping the little guy wins this one.

For the video version of the story, click image below.

If you are buying a term paper off the Internet, you are probably not that concerned about whether someone’s copyright has been infringed upon.

But some of the people who wrote those papers are concerned about their copyrights, and their lawsuit has led an Illinois judge to order to one of these term paper companies to prove it has permission for the papers it sells.

According to USA Today, this might “be the first time a court has penalized a seller based on how it acquires papers.”