INTERNET
American Web Usage Reached 54%, In Autumn, Government Study Says
(WSJ)
Most Web Users Find Online News Credible - Study (WP)
BROADCASTING
As Broadcast Decency Wanes, Feds Stand Ready To Act (USA)
INTERNET
AMERICAN WEB USAGE REACHED 54%, IN AUTUMN, GOVERNMENT STUDY SAYS
Issue: Digital Divide
New government data shows that more than 50% of Americans are using the
Internet. use continued to grow rapidly last year, with new government data
showing that the number of Americans using the Web in 2001 passed 50% of the
population for the first time. According to a Commerce Department report,
set for release Tuesday, 143 million Americans, or 54% of the country, were
using the Internet as of September. The number was up 26% from a year
earlier. The report found that while a digital divide endures, it is
beginning to narrow. Between December 1998 and September 2001, Internet use
by the nation's poorest citizens -- those earning less than $15,000 per
household -- increased at an annual rate of 25%. Web
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (), AUTHOR: Yochi J. Dreazen]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1012789793162132080,00.html?mod=technolo
gy_main_whats_news)
(requires subscription)
MOST WEB USERS FIND ONLINE NEWS CREDIBLE - STUDY
Issue: Journalism
American Internet users believe that online news outlets are at least as
credible as many traditional media sources including newspapers, television
broadcasts and magazines, according to a study published yesterday by the
Online News Association (ONA). More than 78 percent of Internet users said
that cable television-operated Web sites were "credible," while roughly 67
percent said that Web sites operated by national television and newspaper
outlets were credible. Interestingly, the report found that traditional
media workers were the harshest critics of online media credibility. While
more than 90 percent of media workers said that national newspaper Web sites
were credible, only about 29 percent said that "other" news sites were
credible. Study authors said that the key challenge for online news
organizations could lie in convincing traditional media outlets of the
credibility of Internet news sites.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/media/14967-1.html)
BROADCASTING
AS BROADCAST DECENCY WANES, FEDS STAND READY TO ACT
Issue: Broadcasting
[Op-Ed] "A race to the bottom is never pretty," writes Federal
Communications Commissioner Michael J. Copps, "but it seems especially ugly
when it involves broadcasters saying they must push the limits on decency in
order to compete against the often-prurient offerings of other channels."
While Congress could enact new laws to protect children, Commissioner Copps
suggests that better enforcement of current laws could reduce the need for
far-reaching new ones. He recommends that radio stations should voluntarily
keep tapes or transcripts of their programs. Copps also suggests that the
broadcast industry a voluntary code of conduct that places restrictions on
sexual material, violence, liquor and drug use, and even on excessive
advertising.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michael J. Copps (Federal Communications
Commissioner)]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020204/3825428s.htm)
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