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News media (practically) ignoring elections |
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| Topic: Society |
4:38 pm EDT, Oct 21, 2002 |
As the political season heated up, little more than a third of the over 2,400 local news broadcasts analyzed in a new study contained any election coverage. The findings released by the Lear Center Local News Archive, a collaboration between the USC Annenberg Schools Norman Lear Center and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison result from an analysis of the highest-rated half-hours of early- and late-evening news on 122 stations from September 18 through October 4, 2002. Researchers analyzed a total of 2,454 half-hour local news broadcasts. Of those broadcasts, 1,311 carried no campaign coverage at all. On those broadcasts which included campaign coverage, the average campaign story length was 90 seconds on the top-rated early evening news, and 70 seconds on the top-rated late-evening news, for an overall average of 80.5 seconds. Of the 1,037 campaign stories that were captured by the research study, less than 20% contained any sound bites from candidates. The average length of a sound bite was 9.5 seconds. Although both parties are focused on gaining control of the Congress, it is proving difficult for Congressional candidates to get news coverage. To date, coverage has focused on state level contests for governors mansions. Overall, while gubernatorial campaigns made up 48% of campaign stories analyzed, 17% of campaign stories focused on U.S. Senate contests, and only 5% of campaign stories focused on campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives. The remaining stories focused on other state and local election contests and ballot initiatives. News media (practically) ignoring elections |
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4 in 10 Americans support annexing Canada |
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| Topic: Society |
6:01 am EDT, Oct 17, 2002 |
Should Canada become the 51st American state? Four out of 10 Americans answered "sure" in a recent poll conducted by Leger Marketing of Montreal. While 38 per cent of respondents said they would be "in favour of Canada being annexed to the United States," 49 per cent disagreed. Another 13 per cent said they did not know or refused to answer. But those who follow Canada-U.S. relations closely said Canadians should not panic. "I wouldn't worry about the army coming," said Christopher Sands, director of the Canada Project for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. 4 in 10 Americans support annexing Canada |
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David Bowie, 21st-Century Entrepreneur |
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| Topic: Society |
5:26 pm EDT, Jun 14, 2002 |
Bowie: "I don't even know why I would want to be on a label in a few years, because I don't think it's going to work by labels and by distribution systems in the same way. The absolute transformation of everything that we ever thought about music will take place within 10 years, and nothing is going to be able to stop it. I see absolutely no point in pretending that it's not going to happen. I'm fully confident that copyright, for instance, will no longer exist in 10 years, and authorship and intellectual property is in for such a bashing." David Bowie looks forward to the next music revolution. David Bowie, 21st-Century Entrepreneur |
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FBI Tips and Public Leads |
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| Topic: Society |
2:53 am EDT, Jun 5, 2002 |
While the FBI continues to encourage the public to submit information regarding the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this form may also be used to report any suspected criminal activity to the FBI. FBI Tips and Public Leads |
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| Topic: Society |
12:24 am EDT, May 14, 2002 |
"At its best, the Internet can educate more people faster than any media tool we've ever had. At its worst, it can make people dumber faster than any media tool we've ever had. The lie that 4,000 Jews were warned not to go into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 was spread entirely over the Internet and is now thoroughly believed in the Muslim world. Because the Internet has an aura of "technology" surrounding it, the uneducated believe information from it even more. They don't realize that the Internet, at its ugliest, is just an open sewer: an electronic conduit for untreated, unfiltered information." Global Village Idiocy |
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Spreading by the Web, Pop's Bootleg Remix |
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| Topic: Society |
6:01 pm EDT, May 9, 2002 |
The song may sound familiar at first. But, suddenly, the recording changes course. As the recording moves on, it is clear that the song is neither fish nor fowl; it is a crossbreed. It is something that is completely different, often illegal and, thanks to the Internet, becoming explosively popular. "The best bootlegs don't sound like bootlegs; they work at a profound level, and actually sound like they are the original record." "It is a case of bootleggers bootlegging bootlegs." "It's my favorite record of the year so far." Neil Strauss on the latest fad in online music. Spreading by the Web, Pop's Bootleg Remix |
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As I have said for years now: Change is coming |
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| Topic: Society |
2:08 pm EST, Mar 4, 2002 |
Or at least thats the current model. And it may still work for a while with customers too undiscriminating or unenterprising to ferret out more demanding and rewarding music with the help of public and college radio stations, music journalists, remote corners of the Internetor, like, you know, friends? Listening to such artists isnt just about the music: its the smart peoples secret handshake. Unless we direct this information technology crap in the right direction, its going to be what shackles our cultural growth and identity to the LCD. Generic American culture, available for purchase at your local Target, Wallmart, and Blockbuster. As I have said for years now: Change is coming |
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Privacy Foundation: Privacy Watch |
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| Topic: Society |
1:57 pm EST, Mar 4, 2002 |
"We are blinded by an American character trait, which is to feel contempt. College sophomores are regularly asked every year, "To what do you attribute your beliefs? Almost universally, they say, "I believe what I believe because I've evaluated the evidence. My idiot opponent got their evidence because of flaws in their character. " Privacy Foundation: Privacy Watch |
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| Topic: Society |
10:05 am EST, Mar 1, 2002 |
Cnet interview with John Perry Barlow "(The .com crash has) been good for the Internet, and in the long term it's going to be very good for the dot-communists. Never has there been a time when there are so many young people who have been poor and then rich and then poor again. I think it's an educational experience that teaches you what's valuable in life. To have a whole bunch of money at a really young age and see how completely useless it is--it trains a lot of folks in the real value of things. " Tech News - CNET.com |
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