October 2010

Hub, a channel aimed at kids that launches Sunday, is co-owned by cable giant Discovery Communications Inc. and Hasbro Inc., the nation's No. 2 toy maker.

The Hub is already in the crosshairs of media watchdogs who fear the network's programming, with shows based on toy lines G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony and Pound Puppies, amounts to little more than plugs for Hasbro products. "The notion of a toy company owning a television channel for the sole purpose of promoting their toys is egregious practice," said Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has emerged as one of the Hub's harshest critics. Linn acknowledged that she had yet to see any of the network's new shows. Whether the network's ties to Hasbro will lead to greater scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators remains to be seen. The Federal Communications Commission limits the number of commercials aired during shows aimed at children ages 12 and younger. And during shows based on a toy or game, the FCC bars advertisements for that toy or game. Looking to ease an outcry, the Hub plans to carry six minutes of commercials per hour in shows aimed at preschoolers, well below the FCC's limit of 12 minutes on weekdays and 10.5 minutes on weekends.

[Commentary] For advanced industrial nations, cyber-warfare is simultaneously a huge opportunity and a huge threat. Targeted cyber-attacks, such as those aimed at Iran, offer the chance to disrupt an enemy's industrial and military capacities. But western officials are also having nightmares about the vulnerabilities of their own societies.

Senior western officials claim they've had success disrupting the Iranian nuclear program -- could it have been a state-sponsored cyberattack? The Iranian government complains that it has been hit by "electronic warfare" in the form of the Stuxnet virus that has infected more than 30,000 computers in their country. But computer experts seem pretty sure that something as complex as Stuxnet could only have been designed by a state. Early speculation centered around Israel. But, in truth, there are several intelligence agencies that have the capacity and motive to make life difficult for Iran's nuclear scientists. This year, the US set up a Cyber Command to defend its networks and to plan attacks.

For the moment, the western powers probably do still have the upper hand in cyberspace. But one day, the tables may turn. The first we may know of it is when our cashpoints refuse to co-operate, our traffic lights go on the blink and our computers shut down.

[Commentary] The Republican grab for Congress is being funded by a pack of wolves masquerading as a herd of sheep.

How sweet and innocent they seem, these mysterious organizations with names like Americans for Job Security. Who could argue with that? Who wants job insecurity? It turns out, according to The Post, that an entity called Americans for Job Security has made nearly $7.5 million in "independent" campaign expenditures this year, with 88 percent going to support Republican candidates. Who's putting up all that money? You'll never know, because Americans for Job Security -- which calls itself a "business association" -- doesn't have to disclose the source of its funding. Likewise, the American Future Fund has spent $6.8 million on campaigns this year, with every penny of that money benefiting Republicans. The patriotically named group -- and, really, who doesn't want America to have a future? -- is based in Iowa and has never before been a big player in the Great Game of campaign finance. Now, suddenly, it has a king's ransom to throw around. Whose money is it? The American Future Fund won't tell you.

The Supreme Court made all this possible with its ruling early this year, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which legalized unlimited campaign spending by corporations, unions, trade associations and other such entities. And the independent-expenditure groups with the patriotic names are often structured as nonprofits, which means they are not required to disclose their donors publicly. The result is a system in which oil companies opposed to an energy bill that would begin to steer the country away from fossil fuels, or Wall Street firms that want to undo financial regulatory reform and return to the days of the Big Casino, or gazillionaires who want to keep George W. Bush's tax breaks, can all spend as much as they like to try to buy Congress for the Republican Party. And they can do it secretly, in the dark, without anyone knowing. It's bad enough that public offices can be purchased. It's unconscionable that we can't even know who the buyers are.

As the president hit the road to shore up the Democrats' faltering fortunes, the midterm elections topped the news agenda for the third week in a row, accounting for 26% of the newshole from Sept. 27-Oct. 3, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Even though the 2010 campaign did not heat up until the primaries began in earnest in the spring, it is now the third-biggest story of the year to date, accounting for 7% of the newshole, according to PEJ's News Coverage Index. The No. 1 story in 2010 thus far has been the economy (12%), followed by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (9%). On the ideological radio and cable talk shows last week, a full 69% of the airtime studied was devoted the elections—with hosts finding plenty to talk about as President Obama launched a series of campaign-style appearances around the country. The economy, the No. 2 story last week at 9%, was highlighted in stories related to the housing crisis and a suspension of foreclosures by some big lenders accused of improperly processing paperwork.