Create your Benton.org account today. Registration is quick and easy. Creating an account allows you to rate content like our Headlines.
Government & Communications
Governments must intervene to end IP address shortage, says OECD
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 15, 2008 - 4:37pmBusinesses alone are not doing enough to avert an impending shortage of Internet Protocol addresses, and governments must work with them to secure the future of the Internet economy, according to a report published Thursday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
New Study Calls 'Embed' Program for U.S. Media in Iraq a 'Victory' -- for the Pentagon
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 15, 2008 - 6:25amDebate over the "embedded journalist" program run by the Pentagon since the weeks before the Iraq invasion in 2003 has long raged, with some claiming that it gave reporters valuable close access to action while others saying that the journalists were severely compromised within it.
Pentagon Media Pundits Appeared 4,500 times since Jan 1, 2002
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 13, 2008 - 7:16pmLast updated: May 13, 2008 - 7:27pm
A New York Times article detailed the connection between numerous media military analysts and the Pentagon and defense industries, reporting that "the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform" media military analysts "into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." A Media Matters review found that since January 1, 2002, the analysts named in the Times article -- many identified as having ties to the defense industry -- collectively appeared or were quoted as experts more than 4,500 times on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200805130001
Bond: White House seems flexible on immunity for telecoms over wiretaps
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 12, 2008 - 8:12pmThe White House appears willing to compromise on the issue of retroactive immunity for telephone firms that joined the Bush administration’s wiretapping program, said Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO). The fight over whether the phone companies that helped in national security surveillance should be given immunity from lawsuits has prevented Republicans and Democrats from reaching an agreement to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
From Political Operative to TV Analyst
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 12, 2008 - 7:36amOne year ago, when he was still a deputy White House chief of staff in the Bush administration, Karl Rove was more likely than not ducking news organizations. Now, he has joined them, as an analyst for Fox News and a contributor to Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal.
SPJ: End Embedded Analyst Program
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 12, 2008 - 7:35amLast updated: May 13, 2008 - 7:26pm
An "outraged" Society of Professional Journalists called on the Pentagon to stop the practice of using military analysts on TV and other media as a "Trojan Horse" to carry the White House's message about the war in Iraq -- a story first reported by The New York Times.
Domestic spying far outpaces terrorism prosecutions
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 12, 2008 - 7:34amThe number of Americans being secretly wiretapped or having their financial and other records reviewed by the government has continued to increase as officials aggressively use powers approved after the Sept.
FCC Probing Complaint About Embedded Analysts
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 9, 2008 - 7:05amFederal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that the commission was looking into complaints about the Department of Defense's program to provide administration talking points to former military officers used by TV networks as analysts on the Iraq war.
Congressional action heats up on FISA
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 9, 2008 - 6:59amTelecom companies have presented congressional Democrats with a set of proposals on how to provide immunity to the businesses that participated in a controversial government electronic surveillance program. House officials declined to discuss the specifics of the proposed immunity language by the telecoms.
Why Did the FCC Hire Ketchum?
Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 9, 2008 - 6:58amIt was a peculiar decision for the Federal Communications Commission to hire the ethically-challenged Ketchum Communications as their communications and "messaging" guru for the digital television education initiative. It was Ketchum that funneled $240,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to syndicated television and radio host Armstrong Williams in exchange for his touting of the Bush Administration’s “No Child Left Behind” program a few years ago.
