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Last Wednesday, a committee of British lawmakers met to discuss reforming the country's libel laws. As it currently stands, libel law is so friendly to plaintiffs there that foreigners frequently visit just to sue other foreigners in British court. John Kampfner, head of Index on Censorship, talks about how British libel law got to be so bad and what the proposed reforms might accomplish.
This week, an Italian court handed out half-year prison sentences to three Google executives. Their crime? Violating privacy law by hosting a video. UV Media Studies and Law professor Siva Vaidhyanathan says it’s a decision that challenges basic assumptions about whether internet companies can be liable for their content.
On March 18th, a public auction will be held in Midtown Manhattan. On the block? Sex.com, one of the most coveted pieces of internet real estate, ever. But be warned. Sex dot com comes with a long and troubled past. It’s all chronicled by Kieren McCarthy in SEX.COM: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet’s Crown.
In recent weeks Toyota has struggled with the mechanics and the mea culpas of a successful product recall. What’s a global company to do when faced with a high profile consumer crisis-of-confidence? Veteran PR crisis manager Gene Grabowski says look no further then the ur-successful recall – Tylenol in 1982. And Japanese international relations expert Roland Kelts explains why for Toyota it’s so hard to say ‘I’m sorry.’
Some OTM listeners following the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti have written us to point out the sheer numbers of reporters who had made their way to the stricken island. In a commentary for The New Republic, senior editor Noam Scheiber suggests that the press should cover disasters like Haiti the same way it covers the day-to-day activities of the President: through a pool.
The National Enquirer has gotten a lot of mainstream press recognition recently for singlehandedly breaking John Edwards’ affair with Rielle Hunter. On the heels of last week's admission by Edwards that he is the father of an illegitimate child with Hunter, the tabloid has announced it is submitting its coverage for the Pulitzer Prize. Executive Editor Barry Levine discusses the chances and the Enquirer’s image in the mainstream press.
Journalist Paige Williams wrote a profile of Dolly Freed, a reclusive author who'd been briefly famous in the 1970s after writing a book about her years spent living off the grid. When Williams couldn't find anyone willing to publish Freed's story, she decided to publish it herself and ask readers for donations.
Time was journalism school was touted as the first step to entering The Industry and making a living. But The Industry is quickly collapsing and j-school is scrambling to adjust its training accordingly. Jeff Jarvis, professor and new-media evangelist, argues that the future lies in teaching ‘entrepreneurial journalism,’ where every student is a business venture.
