NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> Censorship
ONLINE-ADS>> Censorship
Tom Hespos (thespos_at_k2design.com)
Tue, 13 May 1997 14:10:01 -0400
C. Alpers wrote:
>While the general public slowly gains acceptance of the internet as a
>major media form, they are bombarded by TV, radio and a variety of print
>media with threats and fears about the content on the Web. Whether itĚs
>the ĎHeavenĚs GateÓ thing, or a story about a 7 year old finding a
>pornography site while surfing the web at the school, there is always
>some overly sensational story attached to the internet that is being
>sent out by the tabloids and news rooms. Why? Because FEAR sells! Sex
>and intrigue are not the only ways to draw attention (paraphrasing a
>recent contributor to the digest), fear is also a powerful magnet to
>pull in viewers, readers and listeners. In my opinion, this fear
>created by outside media has also created a paranoia amongst the
>internet community.
I respond:
IMHO, we're not dealing with a news media conspiracy against the Internet
here. Rather, the problem is a complex mix of reporters not being familiar
with the medium and the criteria that the various news media use for
determining what constitutes news.
Speaking as a former newspaperman, I know that many of the traditional
print and television reporters are terrified of the Internet. In fact, I
just had a conversation with a former journalism professor at my alma
mater, Washington & Lee, and he affirmed this. According to him, there are
still a lot of media folks out there who feel threatened by what the
Internet can deliver. This fear and paranoia often discourages the
publication of Internet-related news in the mainstream media. Notice how
you rarely see a "shiny happy" news story about the Internet...
Which speaks to my next point... When reporters decide what to report, the
public interest stories always come before the "shiny happy" stories.
Thus, a story about Paulie Pervert stalking someone online will most likely
make the cut before a story about cybercitizens participating in an online
forum or some such thing. It's just the way news works.
I think that eventually, reporters will open up to the Internet instead of
seeing it as something that threatens their jobs. And understanding of the
medium will spawn more stories about how people use the Internet to enhance
their lives.
Tom Hespos
K2 Design
http://www.k2design.com
http://members.aol.com/~THespos
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