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Amazon released its list of the bestselling books of 2012. The list is a great summary of one of the key themes in book publishing in 2012: Self-published authors and traditional publishers need each other. Four of the authors on Amazon’s 2012 adult top-ten list — which counts Kindle and print copies together — either originally self-published their books or published through very small publishers.
Amazon’s 2012 bestseller list shows publishers and indie authors need each other
Internet users already rely more on the network than newspapers and magazines for their national news. Now the net is also on the verge of overtaking television, according to research.
In fact, more connected Italians already say they get their national news from online ahead of TV, says UK communications regulator Ofcom’s just-published International Communications Market Report. The internet also now leads for international news consumption in both Italy and Japan. But, for some, it is local news at which the internet seemingly excels — that is how most internet users in Germany, Italy and Spain get their local info. It is when you break down “news” in to sub-categories that you see how far the internet has come as a news medium, becoming the main source of sports news and celeb gossip in several countries.
Internet may soon beat TV as main source of national news
With cybersecurity breaches on the rise in both the public and private sectors, concerns have arisen regarding whether cyberattacks are being properly combated. These rising concerns have many in the IT industry asking if and when the U.S. federal government will develop a national cyberdoctrine to guide U.S. policy in these matters. Tim Sample, vice president and sector manager of special programs at Battelle, said a national cyberdoctrine would place an overarching framework on these matters, and would allow for all levels of government to orchestrate a plan on cyber-related issues and determine government’s role in the process.
Should the U.S. Develop a National Cyberdoctrine?
The American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and Consumers Union are among a coalition of nearly 60 groups that are urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue new regulations banning marketers from sending behaviorally targeted ads to children.
"These rule changes are not only essential, but also urgent, addressing a variety of techniques that are swiftly becoming commonplace, including: 'cookies' and other 'persistent identifiers' for following a child online, mobile and geolocation tracking, facial recognition software, and behavioral advertising." the organizations say in a letter sent to the FTC. The groups contend that the FTC needs to update its rules implementing the children's Online Privacy Protection Act, in order to account for recent advances in technology.
Dozens Of Groups Ask FTC To Update COPPA Regulations
On the eve of the Federal Trade Commission's release of updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has come up with a cartoon and a message in a blog post: Don't be a Grinch, FTC.
COPPA is the law that protects children’s privacy by requiring websites to obtain parental permission before collecting kids' personally identifiable information, like e-mail addresses. Updates to the 1998 law could be released next week, FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz said during a Congressional Privacy Caucus briefing. But certain provisions of the proposed updates may go too far, the IAB argues, destroying the Internet experience for its youngest users. Thus, the cartoon shows Santa Claus taking a sledge hammer to a tablet, while devastated children look at broken mobile devices. "We thought about doing an op ed or a case study, but we wanted to take this subject matter from a different angle. We tried to find a way that doesn't stick a finger in the FTC's eye too deeply," said Mike Zaneis, the IAB's svp and general counsel.
IAB to FTC: Don't Be a Grinch
Hospitals that received Medicaid incentive payments in 2011 for achieving meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) typically were nonprofit, independent acute-care facilities in Southern cities, according to a report released by the General Accounting Office.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act requires GAO to monitor the impact of its provisions, including whether certain types of providers are more likely to participate in the EHR incentive programs than others. One finding was that, at least in the early stages of the program, hospitals were more likely to participate in the Medicaid EHR incentive program than the Medicare incentive program. On the other hand, the median payment through Medicaid of $613,512 was less than half as much as the comparable Medicare payment. In total, 1,964 hospitals received $1.7 billion in Medicaid EHR incentive payments in 2011, ranging from $7,528 to $7.2 million, according to the report. About half of those hospitals received 80 percent of the distributed incentive payments. In addition, 45,962 providers – about one-third of those thought to be eligible -- received Medicaid incentive payments. Hospitals and other providers combined received $2.7 billion in payments for the year.
GAO Analyzes Federal Health IT Incentives Number and Characteristics of Providers Awarded Medicaid Incentive Payments for 2011 (GAO)
Rush Limbaugh said that liberals and the mainstream media will look to blame the Newtown (CT) elementary school shooting on Republicans and he added it was “sickening” some in the press were already pushing for more gun control.
“[The shooting] is just awful. It is terrible, incomprehensible but I’m going to tell you something – as we sit here at this very moment, you know it and I know it – there are liberals trying to find a way to blame this on conservatives or Republicans,” the conservative commentator said. “It may sound a little hard edged to say that, but I’ve lived through these things for 25 plus years.” He continued: “So it may sound a little hard edged to say it, but I’m telling you, there are elements of the mainstream media who are doing everything they can with their No. 1 objective is to see if there’s anything they can blame on conservative media or Republican policies or the second amendment.”
Rush Limbaugh: Liberals, Mainstream Media will blame GOP
A striking feature of the 2012 race for the White House - a contest that pitted the first Mormon nominee from a major party against an incumbent president whose faith had been a source of controversy four years earlier - is how little the subject of religion came up in the media. According to a new study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, just 1% of the campaign coverage by major news outlets (including broadcast and cable television, radio, newspaper front pages and the most popular news websites) focused on the religion of the candidates or the role of religion in the presidential election. Only 6% of the election-related stories in major news outlets contained any reference to religion. Media attention to religion's importance in the campaign peaked during the primaries, when several Republican candidates spoke about their Christian beliefs.
Other findings include:
- The overall level of religion coverage was about the same as in 2008.
- More religion coverage focused on Romney than on Obama. Romney received twice as much religion coverage as Obama.
- Religion coverage was heavily focused on the horse-race angle. Nearly half of all the religion-related stories studied (45%) dealt with how religion might impact the race.
- The second biggest element of religion coverage dealt with the candidates' beliefs and values. In all, 34% of the religion coverage during the presidential race focused on faith as a character issue or mentioned it in passing as part of a candidate's biography. There was far less coverage -16% - of how religion might impact policymaking or governance.
- In social media, the tone of conversation about the candidates and religion tended to be negative.
- Within the Mormon community, media became a voice of caution to a group suddenly in the spotlight.
The Media, Religion and the 2012 Campaign for President
[Commentary] On December 12, 2012, the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held an oversight hearing on the implementation of spectrum auctions in an effort to meet the growing demand for wireless broadband services and fund a nationwide public safety network. The five FCC Commissioners testified before the panel on the status of the auctions and their interpretations on how the auctions will free up additional spectrum and promote competition. These auctions were part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Three issues that permeated throughout the hearing were (1) an accurate history and interpretation the intent of the statute’s unlicensed spectrum provisions; (2) a focus on the spectrum cap; and (3) what role federal spectrum should play in this discussion.
Congress and the FCC Talk Incentive Auctions, Spectrum, and Your Wireless Future
[Commentary] When President Barack Obama signed into law the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 on February 22, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gained authority to 1) hold voluntary incentive auctions and 2) allocate necessary spectrum for a nationwide interoperable broadband network for first responders. The new law also provides $7 billion for public safety broadband network build out, and up to $1.75 billion for relocation costs for broadcasters. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the spectrum auction will raise $15 billion over the next eleven years. Lawmakers are relying on spectrum revenue to raise $7 billion for the public safety network, $135 million for State planning, $300 million for research and development, and $115 million for next generation 911 services. On December 12, the House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held an oversight hearing, Keeping the New Broadband Spectrum Law on Track, on the FCC’s implementation of the new law. Each of the five FCC commissioners testified. In a briefing memo shared on December 10, House Republicans shared concerns that the FCC plans to give away large swaths of spectrum reclaimed from television broadcasters. Committee staff said the FCC “runs the risk of short changing First Responders, squandering much of the legislation’s potential, and violating the act.”
Getting Spectrum from a Jobs Bill: Keeping the New Broadband Spectrum Law on Track