Milly Dowler, News of the World, and Old-School Journalism in the Information Age

Ah, the 'Good Old Days,' when:

• Spunky girl reporters caught thieves and smugglers
• Superman / mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent fought "a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!"
• Fearless investigative reporters saved the world from
  • Corruption
  • Killer Robots

Those stories had entertainment value. And there was a sort of truth behind them. Not that a Kryptonian flew over a city called Metropolis, or that spunky girl reporters had experiences quite like Jane Arden's.

Then, there's the real world of old-school journalism. The Lemming suspects that they don't quite understand the information age:

Hacking, Scandal, and News of the World

"News of the World to close amid hacking scandal"
BBC News UK (July 7, 2011)

"This Sunday's issue of the News of the World will be the last edition of the paper, News International chairman James Murdoch has said.

"In the past few days, claims have been made that the paper authorised hacking into the mobile phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the families of 7/7 bombing victims.

"Mr Murdoch said proceeds from the last edition would go to good causes.

"Downing Street said it had no role or involvement in the decision.

"The News of the World is the UK's biggest selling newspaper and has been in circulation for 168 years...."

Generally, the Lemming's sorry to see a business that managed to last from the 19th to the 21st centuries go away. In this case, News of the World may be more of a phoenix, than a dying swan:

News of the World: Phoenix Act Coming?

"...Labour MP Tom Watson told Sky News it was 'a victory for decent people up and down the land, and I say good riddance to the News of the World'.

"But Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said: 'All they're going to do is rebrand it' and former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, who alleged his phone was hacked, thought the decision was simply a gimmick."

Not to seem too cynical: but the Lemming thinks Clarke and Prescott may be right. News of the World seems to be a huge cash cow - far too valuable to throw away.

Besides, the Masses are pretty much stupid and have rotten memories - right?

There may have been a time when 'the Masses' really were borderline-illiterate, easily-duped pawns for whoever was feeding them alleged facts and 'expert' opinions.

Today? Not so much.

If a 'new' newspaper pops up in the United Kingdom - one that 'just happens' to have the same staff as News of the World? The Lemming thinks folks in the United Kingdom will notice. Giving at least some of the journalists new names might help. Referring to the new names as pseudonyms would give the false identities a literary flavor - think Mark Twain.

'All the Bad Guys Are Gone - Pretty Much - Trust Us'?!

News of the World's political editor, about his "fantastic" paper:" 'They cleared out all the bad people. They bought in a great new editor, Colin Myler, and his deputy, Victoria Newton, who had not been sullied by any of the things that had gone on in the past.

" 'And there's nobody there, there's hardly anybody there who was there in the old regime....'..."
(BBC News,¹ emphasis by the Lemming)

The Lemming has wondered if some of these communications professionals ever listen to what they say. "...nobody there,... hardly anybody there?!"

Spunky Girl Reporters, Investigative Reporters, and Change

There really was a time when "spunky girl reporters" were showing a post-Victorian America that women could be smart, active, capable - and not be 'bad girls,' or 'loose women,' or whatever.

That was before WWII, Rosie the Riveter, and certainly before the '60s.

There was a time when "investigative reporters" saved the world from corruption and five o'clock shadow. Newspapers said so - and they wouldn't print something if it wasn't true, right?

Much as the Lemming likes tradition and nostalgia: 'Watergate' happened in the '70s. 1970s, to be sure - but it's still more than three decades back.

There have been a few changes since 1974:

• Camcorders
• Personal computers
  • Lots of personal computers
• THEORYNET
• Lots of acronyms
  • TCP/IP
  • HTTP
  • WWW
• Smartphones
• Arab Spring²

These days, 'the Masses' aren't the stereotype drawling louts or village idiots of 'the Good Old Days.' If a newspaper publishes information that probably came from someone's private data? Some of us will figure that out, maybe even prove it: and word will spread. Fast.

Superman isn't Real - Sort of

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman isn't real. There isn't a Kryptonian refugee living on Earth. For that matter, there isn't a planet Krypton. Not the one in the comics, television shows, and movies.

But parts of the Superman stories were 'real:' the parts that reflected some aspect of human nature or experience. Otherwise, it's very, very, unlikely that anyone would have bothered with Kal-El - much less made Superman into a cultural icon.

A Purple-Skinned, Orange-Eyed Space Alien: and Today's News

Please bear with the Lemming - this does connect with News of the World and journalism.



No, the Lemming doesn't think that News of the World is really run by shape-shifting, space-alien lizard people.³

Phil Foglio's film noir/science fiction Buck Godot comic book detective stories aren't serous fiction. Well, they are, in a way - but not very. Quite a few pages seem to be written for laughs. And all of them for entertainment.

The gags, though? The Lemming doubts that they'd be very funny if they didn't reflect some facts. Or things that readers thought were facts, anyway. Like this 'history' excerpted from one of the Buck Godot comics:

Journalists as Predators?

A sort of unnecessary (the Lemming hopes) disclaimer: this ain't 'real.' The quote is from a comic book.

"In the Prime Mover's comprehensive overview of sentient and semi-sentient life within the sphere of the Gallimaufry: Why We're Better Than All Of You Put Together, there are various appendices which deal with predators that feed upon sentients. Journalists are placed within this category....

"...these concepts were eventually accepted, and the number of journalists a healthy civilization could support was worked out by the mysterious (and, incidentally, scandal-ridden) Mathemagicians of FftFwand, with a very complex and practically incomprehensible formula....

"...Nobody really understood it, but as it called for the euthanasia of vast herds of journalists, nobody really tried too hard.

"When the last editorial writers had been shipped off to the re-cycling vats, it was noticed that things seemed a lot quieter, a lot less tense, and things weren't nearly so bad as people had thought they were. Stress levels went down, and the new system was dubbed a success...."
("THE HERODOTUS COMPLEX: NOTES BY P'OILGOF LIVY / Chapter 6; The Fourth Estate," BUCK GODOT zap gun for hire (October 21, 2008) [emphasis by the Lemming]

The Lemming does not advocate hunting down journalists.

On the other hand, the Lemming thinks folks who make a living in traditional newspapers should think about why the lizard-like reporter is (somewhat) believable - and why at least some folks think the idea of recycling editorial writers is - funny.

Substitute "editorial writers" with some low-status, but necessary, job title - like "janitor" - and the joke isn't so funny. In the Lemming's opinion - your experience may vary.

The Lemming thinks folks in any profession should be a little concerned, when readers of a modestly-successful series of stories think that wiping out all but a handful of their number is funny.

Facts, Assumptions, and Perceptions

Remember the list at the top of this post? The one that included spunky girl reporters and fearless investigative reporters? Those were stock, stereotyped, characters at various times.

Which readers and viewers accepted, the Lemming thinks, because folks either believed that the stereotypes were 'real,' or were willing to do so for the sake of an entertaining story.

That's fiction, and light entertainment. There's probably little harm in much of it.

When folks start taking the stereotypes - and the assumptions behind them - seriously? That, the Lemming thinks, can be a problem.

Particularly when folks believe that

• They're Superman
  • Earth's only hope against Lex Luthor
• Being reporters means they can do anything, because
  • 'The public has a right to know'
  • Or whatever slogan is in vogue

Whether or not that's what happened in News of the World - the Lemming doesn't know.

Wake Up: It's the 21^st Century

Some folks seem to be in positions where they can get all the 'facts' they need by reading their own books, press releases, and articles. Worse, their colleagues, friends, and acquaintances, get their facts the same way.

Over-simplified? A little, maybe.

But the Lemming's glad that he didn't have a 'successful' career - and so had to keep up with changes in technology and the social order:

• "Why Your Boss Doesn't Understand the Information Age"
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing Your Mind (August 9, 2010)

It's seems fairly easy for folks living in relatively small communities, with little taste for contact with 'outsiders,' to start believing that their preferences are principles, their biases are facts, and that anybody who doesn't agree is - - - an outsider:

• "About a New York City Fire: but Mostly About the News and Assumptions"
  (April 12, 2010)
  Particularly
  • Dunseith, San Francisco, and People
  • People are People
  • Ignorant, Isolated, Villagers? That's So 14th Century
• "The New York Times, Insularity, and Assumptions"
  (October 21, 2008)
  Particularly
  • The New York Times: A Fine Old Family Business
  • The New York Times and the News: You Can't Please Everybody
  • Make a Few Little Mistakes... Embarrassments at The New York Times
  • 'All the News We Feel Like Printing'
  • From the Pier-Bound Shores of Chelsea to the Austere Grandeur...

What does this have to do with News of the World, and other journalists who learned their trade when newsprint was king?

Maybe nothing - and that the 168-year-old newspaper's embarrassment is a one-of-a-kind fluke.

Or maybe too many old-school journalists don't quite believe that 'the Masses' really can collect and share information - fast. And, worse, draw their own conclusions, instead of waiting to see what reporters and the editor tell them they're supposed to think.

Imagine a World With No Reporters? Be Careful What You Wish For

The Lemming thinks that too many reporters and editors haven't quite come to terms with the idea that Watergate is history, and that broadcast network news is no longer cutting-edge journalism. And that a combination of deadline pressure and time zones put editorial decisions for most of America in the hands of a small number of east coast newspapers. The Lemming's posted about that before:⁴

• "The New York Times and the Information Age: Culture Shock?"
  (June 10, 2010)

The Lemming is also very, very concerned about folks who want to 'save the children,' 'safeguard democracy,' enforce niceness, or attain some other goal - by controlling what the rest of us are allowed to know.

McCarthyism wasn't a good idea - political correctness wasn't an improvement - and the Lemming sincerely doesn't want to go back to the 'Good Old Days,' when 'I only know what I read in the papers' might be true for many folks.

So, much as recycling editorial writers, or imposing pre-publication controls on 'those people over there,' might appeal to a desire for a calmer, more tranquil, and more orderly society - - - the Lemming thinks that freedom of expression is important. Very important.

Related posts:

• "Japan Nuclear Power Plants: Behind the Breathless Headlines"
  (March 12, 2011)
• "Lemming Tracks: Internet Freedom; or 'Be Careful What You Wish For' "
  (April 19, 2011)
• " 'Search Neutrality:' Deciding What We're Allowed to Find?"
  (January 22, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Power to the People: REAL Power
• "Lemming Tracks: Erin Andrews, Policing the Internet, and Power to the People"
  (July 29, 2010)
• "Georgia Bigfoot Hoax: Rube Duped by Sophisticated Humor?"
  (August 21, 2008)

Background:

• "Lemming Tracks: Egypt Government Shuts Down Internet: It Can't Happen Here?"
  (January 29, 2011)
• "What is an Information Gatekeeper?"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (August 14, 2009)
• "Writers, Editors, Publishers, and the Marketplace of Ideas"
  (August 17, 2007)
• "Why Blogs Will Thrive"
  (August 10, 2007)

---

¹ More from that BBC News article, about the 'nobody's here - hardly anybody' thing:

"...News International has refused to comment on rumours that The Sun could now become a seven-day-a-week operation.

" 'What happens to The Sun is a matter for the future', a spokeswoman for News International said. The Sun, another News International tabloid, is currently published from Monday to Saturday.

"The spokeswoman also refused to say whether the 200 or so employees at the paper would be made redundant, saying: 'They will be invited to apply for other jobs in the company.'

"The News of the World's political editor, David Wooding, who joined 18 months ago, said it was a fantastic paper.

" 'They cleared out all the bad people. They bought in a great new editor, Colin Myler, and his deputy, Victoria Newton, who had not been sullied by any of the things that had gone on in the past.

" 'And there's nobody there, there's hardly anybody there who was there in the old regime.

" 'The people are very clean, great, talented professional journalists and we pull out a great paper every week. And we're all paying the price for what happened six years ago by a previous regime.'..."

² Actually, 'Arab Spring' is still happening - and that may not be the name it winds up with. Instances of traditional establishments failing to deal with Information Age social structures aren't limited to the Middle East, for starters. The Lemming's discussed part of that readjustment in another blog:

• "Libya, Syria, Bahrain: Journalists Uncooperative; 'the Masses' Worse"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 29, 2011)
• "Zimbabwe, Where Watching the Wrong Videos is Treason"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (February 25, 2011)
• "Information Technology, People, and a Changing World"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (February 23, 2011)
• "Bahrain, Foreign Troops, and - Maybe - the Last Stand of Kings"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 18, 2011)

³ See:

• "How to Not Sound Crazy - or - THE PARANOIDS ARE AFTER ME!!!"
  (June 12, 2011)

Those space-alien, shape-shifting lizard people are among the Lemming's favorite conspiracy theories. And quite real. Not space aliens ruling the world - there being an unusually colorful conspiracy involving lizard people:

• "Lebanon, Israel, Pakistan, India, and the Lizard People"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (January 14, 2009)
  Particuarly
  • Someone to Blame

⁴ The Lemming doesn't have anything against The New York Times. It's an old, established paper, and serves a useful function. But not, in the Lemming's considered opinion, a reflection of national character. The Lemming harangued about that in another blog:

"From the Pier-Bound Shores of Chelsea to the Austere Grandeur...

"The New York Times, serving all the land: from the pier-bound shores of Chelsea to the austere grandeur of the United Nations Plaza; from the verdant wilds of Van Cortlandt Park to the cloud-capped towers of Broadway.

"The Big Apple's a diverse and wonderful city, and is America's biggest city. But it isn't America.

"I see The New York Times as a hometown paper with a long history and a dedication of bringing news of the world to its readers: people who live in the boroughs of New York City. I don't expect The New York Times to reflect my interests or views, any more than I read The Straits Times of Singapore to find out what's going on here in Minnesota, or to get a view of the world that takes American Midwestern interests into account...."
(Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 21, 2008)

2010 Commonwealth Games, Day Two: Medals, Laurels, and the Usual Complaints

"India at Commonwealth Games: Medals on field, laurels off it"
DNA (Daily News and Analysis) (October 5, 2010) (It's tomorrow now, in India)

"Could it be that the worst is over for the Commonwealth Games? The afterglow of a hitch-free opening ceremony is showing in Delhi. The new-found confidence is almost palpable - even the beleaguered Suresh Kalmadi is hitting back at critics. And to give the devil his due, he has reason to be satisfied.

"India fared well on Day Two, too, both on and off field. Carrying forward from the spectacular opening night, there were no visible or audible glitches - no one was complaining about security and hygiene. Not even about long wait for buses. In fact, the sceptics were singing paeans about India and New Delhi. The only glitch, it seemed, were the empty stands. But officials dismissed that concern as a Monday, and first day, syndrome...."

The Lemming is pretty much of the same page with DNA on this. India's leadership has either done a good job - or had the good sense to stay out of the way and let folks get the job done. Either way, well done.

---

"Games people play"
Karthik Krishnaswamy, Young World, The Hindu (October 5, 2010) (Dateline stuff again)

"Once every four years a major sports event takes place. Members of the Commonwealth of Nations come together to participate in the Commonwealth Games.

"The first time this event took place was in 1930. It was then known as the British Empire Games and 11 nations participated. It has been held regularly since then, with just one interruption in 1942, during World War II.

"After months spent attempting to scrub the stench of corruption and organisational incompetence off its frame, the 2010 Commonwealth Games is finally upon the capital.

"A dengue outbreak, the collapse of a foot overbridge outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the revelation that the Games village was in 'unlivable' condition two weeks to the start of the event, and heightened security fears following an attack of a tourist bus near the historic Jama Masjid have led to a host of athletes pulling out of the event...."

The article seems to be a pretty good backgrounder on the Commonwealth Games, and summary of what's happened so far.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are not perfect, though. Certainly not from the point of view of team-India boosters. The Indian athletes haven't been the top performers. So far.

What's happening off the field is important, too. Or at least interesting. The Commonwealth Games are international news, and a fair number of journalists around the world are acting like - well, like journalists.

---

"Commonwealth Games fans go missing"
ABC Grandstand Sport (Australia) (October 5, 2010) (It's tomorrow in Australia, too.)

"All across New Delhi, brightly-coloured posters plead 'Come out and play', but on Monday this teeming city opted to stay home instead as a wave of indifference greeted the Commonwealth Games.

"The opening day witnessed matches played out at eerily empty venues, a worrying sight for besieged organisers hoping that Sunday's widely-applauded opening ceremony had finally laid to rest the problem-plagued build-up.

" 'Australia 76 Spectators 58' reported The Sydney Morning Herald after the opening match of the netball competition at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex which can hold 4,500 people....

"...'In front of a crowd which would have fitted in a bus - just 58 legitimate spectators - the Diamonds scored more than a goal per fan in a 76-39 cruise past Samoa.'

"Despite the withering cynicism, fans and officials were convinced the situation will improve as the 11-day event progresses...."

Giving credit where credit is due, the Australian news service did mention - later in the article - that folks in India aren't all that much interested in the day's sports. And 58 fans in a 4,500-capacity venue is certainly newsworthy.

---

"Boxing weigh-in latest fiasco in troubled Games"
Reuters IN (October 4, 2010)

"The official weigh-in for the Commonwealth Games boxing competition ran into complete chaos on Monday with teams complaining of faulty test scales at the Talkatora Indoor stadium.

"Innacurate test scales had a string of boxers unnecessarily trying to shed weight to get into the desired category, Australia team spokesperson John Gatfield said.

" 'The athletes weighed themselves on the test scales, and found themselves to be over. They got back to the sauna trying to lose some weight and when they came back, they weighed more than the last reading,' Gatfield told Reuters.

" 'So there was a lot of chaos there and they have decided to have a second weigh-in Tuesday morning. It was really ridiculous.'..."

Okay: So paragraph one's "complete chaos" was demoted to "a lot of chaos" by paragraph four. There does seem to have been something wrong with the scales.

More about that SNAFU:

• "Complaints of faulty scales at C'Wealth Games boxing weigh-in"
  DNA (October 4, 2010)

Seriously, though: "Complete chaos?" The Lemming acknowledges that journalists like the word "chaos" - a lot. It's dramatic and sounds cool. Still: going from "complete chaos" to "a lot of chaos" in four paragraphs stretches that willing suspension of disbelief mighty thin.

---

All things considered, it's probably better for India if the pre-games publicity reeks, and the events go off reasonably well. Think what a PR problem they'd have on their hands if the headlines yesterday had been "Prince Charles Declared Dead at Scene" and "Aerostat Breaks Free, Hundreds Killed"

Yeah, it could have been a lot worse.

The most sensible statement made about the 2010 Commonwealth that the Lemming's run into so far was made by, of all people, a politico: (October 3, 2010)

...Asked if he was satisfied with the security arrangements, a smiling [Union Home Minister P.] Chidambaram told PTI, 'Ask me on October 14 and I will tell you.'..."
(DNA (October 3, 2010))

Related posts:

• "2010 Commonwealth Games and a Sensible Statement"
  (October 3, 2010)
• "Lemming Tracks: 2010 Commonwealth Games Start Today"
  (October 3, 2010)
• "Lemming Tracks: 2010 Commonwealth Games and Bad Publicity"
  (September 26, 2010)
• "2010 Commonwealth Games' Dehli Village: Oops"
  (September 21, 2010)
• "Antibiotic-Resistant Superbug With NDM-1 Enzyme"
  (September 15, 2010)
  Particularly
  • 'Natives' and 'Citizens:' Maybe It's Time to Think 'People'

'More Than 100 Earth-Like Planets' Found? Well, No: Not Really

"Claims of 100 Earth-Like Planets Not True"
Space.com (July 22, 2010)

"Despite overzealous news headlines this week, NASA's Kepler spacecraft has not indentified [!] more than 100 Earth-like planets in the galaxy.

"The planet-hunting telescope, launched in April 2009, has so far confirmed only five alien planets beyond the solar system, mission scientists told SPACE.com.

"The erroneous reports of new planets were generated in response to a recent videotaped speech Kepler co-investigator Dimitar Sasselov gave at a TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference in July.

" 'More than 100 "Earth-like" planets discovered in past few weeks,' read the headline of a Wednesday article in the U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper. The Observer, another U.K. paper, also reported the finding.

"However, Sasselov was referencing only possible planets among the Kepler data, scientists said...."

- - - Which is why I didn't write a post about this REMARKABLE! STUNNING! EPICALLY AMAZING! discovery, when those headlines popped up.

Sure, it'd be cool if a whole bunch of 'class M' planets dropped out of the Kepler data - and then the U.S.S. Enterprise arrived to beam up some scientists for a ride to the new worlds.

Not likely, though.

The Space.com article briefly describes the sort of information we are getting. I think it's impressive: but I've been following astronomy, planetary sciences, and space exploration for - probably longer than most of those journalists have been alive.

And, I pay attention to what people say and write: the actual words they use, and what they mean. That made me a pretty good researcher/writer: but kept me from reporting ASTOUNDING! COLOSSAL! events, when none had happened.

This "More than 100 'Earth-like' planets discovered" SNAFU is a case in point, for why it's a good idea to read well past the headlines - and then start researching, to see what real events inspired the journalist.

Today's Information Age technologies make that a whole lot easier than it was, back in my 'good old days.' At that's another topic or two. Maybe three.

---

Related posts, at

• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"

Life on Mars: Reality Check

Or, 'But I Read It in the Paper!'

"NASA: Claims of Life on Mars 'Positively False' "
Space.com (April 29, 2010)

"Despite recent media reports that NASA found evidence for life on Mars, the U.S. space agency says proof that we are not alone is still a ways off.

"A Wednesday article in the U.K.'s 'The Sun' newspaper entitled, 'NASA: Evidence of Life on Mars,' reported that they agency had unveiled 'compelling evidence' for Martian organisms. But NASA officials and veteran Mars mission scientists say 'no.'

" 'This headline is extremely misleading,' said Dwayne Brown, a spokesman for NASA based at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. 'This makes it sound like we announced that we found life on Mars, and that is absolutely, positively false.'

"The piece claimed that the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which have been wheeling around the surface of the red planet since January 2004, found pond scum, which the paper calls 'the building blocks of life as we know it.'

" 'I think they have taken this stuff out of context,' Brown said.

"Such a discovery would truly have been groundbreaking, since pond scum, scientifically known as cyanobacteria, are actually a form of life themselves, not just building blocks for it...."

Oh, dear. I suppose the Sun reporter and editors should get points for enthusiasm and interest. Besides, with the sort of deadline pressure folks in the newspaper business have - still, that's a little like a sports announcer calling a one-base hit in the first inning a touchdown that won the game. (References to baseball and American 'football,' respectively.)

I suspect the NASA announcement will set off more conspiracy theories - Well, that can't be helped.

Why do I Deny That Life Could Exist on Mars?

Actually, I don't. It's (remotely) possible that we've already 'discovered' life on Mars - but haven't realized it yet. (Exploding Martians and the Viking Life Experiment, in "Life on Ceres? Could Be" (March 5, 2009))

What I'm quite certain of is that we haven't identified a living organism on Mars.

That would be news - and particularly in today's budget situation, NASA executives would be talking themselves hoarse in interviews, if their organization had found life on another planet. Even a Martian bacterium would be exciting.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Titan, Life Without Water, and 'Messing With Old Definitions' "
  (March 24, 2010)
• "Beautiful Space Princesses, Almost Certainly Not: Flying Whales, Maybe"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 8, 2009)
• "Earth May Not Be a 'Class M' Planet"
  (December 5, 2009)
• "Life on Ceres? Could Be"
  (March 5, 2009)
  Particularly
  Exploding Martians and the Viking Life Experiment

---

Other posts, about

• "Mars, Mostly

Related posts, at

• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"

Success, the Best Advice, Journalists, and G. K. Chesterton

"...On the whole, I think I owe my success (as the millionaires say) to having listened respectfully and rather bashfully to the very best advice, given by all the best journalists who had achieved the best sort of success in journalism; and then going away and doing the exact opposite...."
Figures in Fleet Street, "The collected works of G.K. Chesterton" Gilbert Keith Chesterton

You've probably read this quote paraphrased as "I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite."

The original is available on Google Books.

I rather like G. K. Chesterton's approach.

Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Tower: Observation Deck Open, Mouths Closed

"World's tallest tower in Dubai reopens"
The Associated Press (April 4, 2010)

"The observation deck of the world's tallest skyscraper reopened Sunday in Dubai, two months after an elevator malfunction left visitors trapped more than 120 stories above the ground and forced it to close.

"Dozens of tourists were lining up Sunday for tickets to take an elevator to the 124th floor of the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa, where the tower's observation deck is located.

"The deck was shut in February after an elevator packed with visitors got stuck between floors for 45 minutes before rescuers dropped a ladder into the shaft so those inside could crawl out. Two months later, it's still unclear what caused the elevator to fail.

"The accident proved a major embarrassment for Dubai, whose rulers hoped the Burj Khalifa, which officially opened in January, would be a major tourist draw and buoy the Gulf city-state as it struggles to revive its image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

"At 2,717 feet (828 meters), the tapering, silvery tower ranks as not only the world's highest skyscraper, but also the tallest freestanding structure in the world.

"Its developer, Emaar Properties has not officially announced the observation deck's reopening...."

Good news for Dubai.

I noticed a recurring situation in the article:

"...The firm handling Emaar's public relations did not immediately respond to calls from The AP...."

"...Otis spokesman Dilip Rangnekar previously told the AP that the installation is ongoing. On Sunday he did not respond to a request for details on the elevators' repairs or their safety...."

"...Emaar, the state-linked company that owns the tower, had little to say about February's accident. The company said nothing about an elevator malfunction at the time of the accident and did not provide details of any repairs or maintenance work on the elevators before the viewing deck reopened Sunday...."

It seemed like quite a lot of 'no comment.' I've mentioned before, that the folks who run the Dubai tower, Burj Khalifa, seemed to be more hesitant to talk about what happened than you'd expect from an American company.

Well, Emaar isn't an American company, and Dubai isn't America. Not everybody works at the somewhat frantic pace we consider 'normal.' Which is fine. The world would be less interesting if we were all alike.

I don't know why Otis and all have been so reticent - maybe it's because they're all following the lead of Dubai's culture. Or maybe they're not sure where on the continuum from 'investigative reporter' to paparazzi the lot that's been calling them fall.

And, remembering the sort of hatchet job that the Western press can do: I can't say that I blame Emaar and all with being a tad cautious.

Related posts:

• "Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Tower: Points of View"
  (February 10, 2010)
• "Explosion and Evacuation at Burj Dubai / Khalifa - and Lots of Silence"
  (February 10, 2010)

Odd: I Didn't Know I Hated and Feared North Koreans

The Lemming will stop being serious for the next post.

Here's the headline, and part of the (article? op-ed?):

"Vice Guide to North Korea"
By Shane Smith, Founder of VICE and VBS.TV, CNN World (February 10, 2010)

"Editor's Note: The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn, New York. VBS.TV is Vice's broadband television network. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers.

"Brooklyn, New York (VBS.TV) -- Getting into North Korea was one of the weirdest processes VBS has ever dealt with. After we went back and forth with their representatives for months, they finally said they were going to allow 16 journalists to come and cover the Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang. Just before our departure, they suddenly said, 'No, nobody can come.' Then they said, 'OK, OK, you can come. But only as tourists.'..."

"...Perhaps the weirdest thing about North Koreans is that they genuinely don't seem to know that the rest of the planet hates and fears them. They believe (or maybe they really convincingly lie about believing) that the whole world admires and envies them and that they're the true light of socialism and Juche, which is their leader's philosophy of Communist self-reliance...."

There's more to the (op-ed? article?)

What jumped out at me, though, was that statement: "Perhaps the weirdest thing about North Koreans is that they genuinely don't seem to know that the rest of the planet hates and fears them."

I've lived on this planet for the last half-century, so I think I can claim 'resident' status on Earth. I'm not Korean. I don't even live in Korea. North or South.

I also don't hate and fear North Koreans.

I'm no fan of their government, or the leaders in that government. I am concerned - very - that sooner or later someone in a decision-making position in North Korea will be earnest and ignorant enough to believe his own propaganda. But that's the country's government, not the people who live there.

But "...the rest of the planet hates and fears them."?!!

That's a pretty broad statement, both ways.

I'm pretty sure that a few people, among the roughly 6,767,396,871 who don't live in North Korea¹, there are some who think that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the best thing since Stalin's purges, and that everybody should agree with them. Those folks almost certainly don't hate and fear Koreans. North Koreans, anyway. Provided, of course that the individuals in question don't have severe psychiatric problems, hating and fearing what they love and idolize.

Like I said, I'm no fan of the bunch that's running North Korea right now. But Koreans? They're people, not some faceless mass to be jumbled up with whatever despot happens to be running their country.

I'll admit to a bias: I've been learned some Soo Bahk Do, a sort of Korean analog to Karate, and my wife and #3 daughter are learning Korean. They've gotten quite a bit ahead of me in their studies, so I'll be asking them quite a few questions when I get involved again.

---

¹Population estimate, July, 2009, for

• World
  • 6,790,062,216
• North Korea
  • 22,665,345
  (Source: The World Factbook, CIA)

Photos of Barack Obama, The Associated Press, Intellectual Property Rights, and Common Sense

I'd better point out, particularly for fans and supporters of President Obama, that this post isn't about Barack Obama. It's about an artist who used a photo of Barack Obama that belongs to The Associated Press. And then lied about it.

Never mind the ethics involved: That just wasn't smart. At all.

Again: This post isn't about Barack Obama. It's about somebody else.

An Artist, The Associated Press, and Watergate - the Lesson Not Learned

"Obama Poster Artist Admits He 'Submitted False Images' in Legal Case"
Christopher John Farley, Speakeasy, The Wall Street Journal blog (October 17,2009)

"Shepard Fairey, the artist behind iconic multicolored posters of Barack Obama, admitted Friday that he concealed information in his lawsuit against the Associated Press that claimed that he had the right to use one of the AP's photos as the basis for his artwork.

"The AP had said that Fairey used one AP photo as the basis for his poster, and the artist had claimed that he had used another AP photo that arguably looked less like Fairey’s poster.

In a statement posted to his Web site Fairey said 'While I initially believed that the photo I referenced was a different one, I discovered early on in the case that I was wrong.' He said that in his 'attempt to conceal my mistake I submitted false images and deleted other images.'..."

I was doing a term in college when Watergate happened. There's a lesson to be learned there. It isn't the crime that hurts you. It's the cover-up.

The Wall Street Journal blog directs the reader to the 'complete statement of Mr. Fairey's. Actually, the link leads you to a page on the obeygiant.com website, which in turn has a link to the .pdf-format file.

---

The Associated Press, "Fair Use," Corporate Fantasy Worlds, and Lawyers - Lots of Lawyers

"Obama poster artist admits error"
The Associated Press (October 16, 2009)

"Artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the famous Obama "HOPE" poster, says he was mistaken about which Associated Press photo he based his work on and that he tried to hide his wrongdoing...."

The AP article identifies Mr. Fairey's oopsie as "copyright infringement." That's not the sort of, ah, error anybody involved in handling information would reasonably want on his or her record.

On the other hand, I haven't been all that impressed with The Associated Press' notion of what does, and does not, constitute "fair use." I won't go as far as one writer did, and call the AP stand "preposterous." On the other hand, the AP's heavy-handed, and inconsistent (June 22, 2008), interpretation of intellectual property law doesn't impress me favorably. And the AP's application of it's massive financial and legal resources against commoners leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It reminds me of the RIAA's efforts to ruin a Minnesota woman. (June 22, 2008, June 17, 2008)

The Recording Industry Association of America will probably succeed, eventually, in draining Jammie Thomas of every asset she, her family, and for all I know the grocery she goes to, has. American lawsuits decisions may not be as crazy as they were a few decades back, but I wouldn't count on it. (See "RIAA Jury Finds Minnesota Woman Liable for Piracy, Awards $222,000," Wired (October 4, 2007), "Jammie Thomas Found Liable For Copyright Infringement With $1.92 Million Penalty," Pulse2 (June 19, 2009).)

On the other hand, a couple of lawyers who aren't on the RIAA payroll are talking about a class-action lawsuit that, in addition (I suspect) to making them a bundle, might force the RIAA to return something like $100,000,000 they claim RIAA stole. ("Lawyer and Harvard Professor Combine Forces To File Class Action Lawsuit Against The RIAA," Pulse2 (June 12, 2009))

---

Don't Lie - and If You Do, When You're Caught: Admit It!

I've mentioned Watergate before.

"Shepard Fairey admits to wrongdoing in Associated Press lawsuit"
Culture Monster, Los Angeles Times (October 16, 2009)

"...Fairey said in a statement issued late Friday that he knowingly submitted false images and deleted others in the legal proceedings, in an attempt to conceal the fact that the AP had correctly identified the photo that Fairey had used as a reference for his 'Hope' poster of then-Sen. Barack Obama.

" 'Throughout the case, there has been a question as to which Mannie Garcia photo I used as a reference to design the HOPE image,' Fairey said. 'The AP claimed it was one photo, and I claimed it was another.'

"New filings to the court, he said, 'state for the record that the AP is correct about which photo I used...and that I was mistaken. While I initially believed that the photo I referenced was a different one, I discovered early on in the case that I was wrong. In an attempt to conceal my mistake I submitted false images and deleted other images.'..."

I've got ethical, moral, and philosophical reasons for disapproving of telling lies: but there are practical reasons for being accurate. Truth is like quack grass. It's hard to kill, and keeps coming back.

Which brings me to the last news quote for this post.

---

Lie to Your Wife, Lie to the Police, Lie to the Judge: But Don't Ever Lie to Your Lawyers!!

"Lawyers for Obama poster artist say he misled them"
The Associated Press (October 16, 2009)

"Obama 'HOPE' Poster Artist Admits Photo Error "
The Associated Press, via FOXNews (October 17, 2009)

"...Fairey's attorneys, led by Anthony Falzone, executive director of the Fair Use Project at Stanford University, have informed the AP that they are withdrawing...."

Like I said, I don't approve of lying. But for someone to lie, get caught, try a coverup, and then try to hoodwink his own lawyers - - -.

---

Intellectual Property, the Real World, and This Blogger

First of all, I'm not all that favorably impressed with The Associated Press. The AP is an 800-pound gorilla in the world of journalism - and therefore impossible to ignore - but I'm not convinced that its executives are right when it comes to intellectual property rights.

The Associated Press = All Journalism?!

For example, one of AP's lawsuits claims that "...the uncredited, uncompensated use of an AP photo violated copyright laws and signaled a threat to journalism." (AP, October 16, 2009)

I suppose they mean that if a whole lot of people started using AP photos without paying The Associated Press, or saying where they got the photos - it wouldn't be good for AP. And, if the practice spread, it wouldn't be good for other traditional news organizations, either.

But - using one AP photo without paying them will threaten all of journalism? If journalism is such bad shape, I think we should have a brief memorial service and then get on with developing the new ways we have of sharing and verifying information.

Rules are For the Little People?

I think this bears repeating. The Associated Press has a strict, no-nonsense interpretation of what constitutes "fair use" - for people quoting AP sources. When AP lifts material from another source, copying larger chunks of content is okay - for AP. According to AP. (June 22, 2008)"

Like I said, AP's an 800-pound gorilla. In practical terms, it can sit where it wants, and have any banana it wants.

I don't quite approve: but I'm one guy living in central Minnesota, who's running a struggling sole proprietorship. I don't have a legal staff and the corporate resources it takes to keep suing some schlemiel until he (or she, as the case may be) dies or goes broke.

I certainly couldn't take on AP and win.

So, I try to figure out what AP really wants, make sure that I'm doing a little marketing for them with links whenever I use their material, and I've stopped using their photos in my posts and micro-reviews.

AP's Got Company

The Associated Press isn't the only traditional-media outfit that's having trouble adjusting to the Information Age. RIAA's been shooting itself in the foot (my opinion) with its efforts to ruin that Minnesota woman; and the American movie industry's been doing its part in this apparent mass-suicide of old corporate giants.

Some little time ago, the Motion Picture Association of America asked universities to put spyware on their networks. The MPAA, not unreasonably, was afraid that students were ripping them off by pirating movies. Turns out, the spyware they wanted installed was a pirated copy. (December 13, 2007)

Quote? You Bet I Quote!

This blog is mostly what I call micro-reviews of what I find on the web. I generally lead with my subject's headline and the first two or three paragraphs. Then I talk about what I read, what I think of the article, and my view on the subject of the article.

And, yes: You'll find posts that don't fit that format. If I don't have something to say about an article's subject - or how it's written - I don't say it. Well, sometimes I do, anyway, but that's another topic.

Each time I quote, there's a headline or its equivalent that links back to my source. I put quotes inside quotation marks, and I make any photos I use from other sources - link back to the source.

I figure that outfits that aren't AP won't mind getting the sort of publicity I provide - particularly since I give links back to the sources.

That isn't all that big a deal for me: I got used to attributing sources back in my college days; and it's an easy habit to maintain.

'Everything Should be Free - and I Should Get Paid'

That's a trifle unfair, in some cases. There are, I suppose, people who rip off other people - and don't mind a bit when someone rips them off.

Still, the 'everything should be free' ethic that I first noticed in the sixties seems to be alive and well and living in cyberspace. This post is already long - even by my standards - so I won't start writing about business models, marketing, and the emerging online culture.

I go along with the 'everything should be free' idea to the extent that I doubt I'll ever charge admission for my blogs and websites. Let's get real: who'd pay to take a look at this? Particularly if they didn't know what was here in the first place.

On the other hand, I don't have a problem with having the equivalent of a tip jar on pages. I even ran into a service that calls their donation function a 'tip jar.' But that, again, is another topic.

What If Someone Rips Me Off?

My hat's off to people who go after content thieves like rabid chihuahuas. But I'm a little more laid back.

As I said, I don't have AP's resources: and I'm too busy creating content to spend hours a day chasing down malefactors. Besides, I put links to other relevant pages in my Small World of Websites™ in many of my posts - so if I get ripped off, whoever gets the content will also probably do some of my marketing for me.

I do keep an eye on where my content's showing up online, though. And if you think I'm going to post how I do that in a public forum like this: you're crazier than Dilbert's CEOs.

That's about all I've got to say about intellectual property rights for now: it's been a long journey, from some artist trying to lie his way out of using an AP photo without giving the journalism giant a piece of the action, to why I put so many links in my posts.

Related posts, more-or-less about intellectual property:

• "Tetris: Invented in Russia (This Time, Chekov's Right)"
  (June 6, 2009)
• "Planet eBook - Classic Literature For Free"
  (June 4, 2009)
• "European Commission Extends Sound Recording Copyright"
  (July 19, 2008)
• "Dealing with Content Theft: A Pretty Good Idea"
  (July 6, 2008)
• "Identical Posts About the 'World's Highest Escalator/ "
  (July 1, 2008)
• "Associated Press, Fair Use, TechCrunch, and Common Sense"
  (June 22, 2008)
• "The Associated Press, Bloggers, Fair Use, and Common Sense"
  (June 17, 2008)
• "Recording Industry May Not Ruin Minnesota Woman: Music-Sharing Trial May Go Another Round"
  (May 17, 2008)
  • Or, not
  • There aren't many Minnesotans with as much money as RIAA - and it looks like she isn't one of them
• "This Reeks: Blog Thief Rips Off Content for Profit"
  (May 12, 2008)
• "Did Someone Rip Off Your Blog? You're Not Alone, and Not Helpless"
  (March 27, 2008)
• " 'But I Stole it, Fair and Square' "
  (March 2, 2008)
• "MPAA, Pirated Spyware, and Intellectual Property Rights"
  (December 13, 2007)
• "Digital Pirates in Cyberspace! It's No Joke"
  (October 6, 2007)
• "More Sploggers"
  (October 6, 2007)
• "Intellectual Property Information Resources"
  (October 1, 2007)

Self-Discipline Threatens Economy! No, Really

"Flossing, brushing threaten false teeth sales…"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blogs (October 1, 2009)

"Please don't let me be the only one who thinks this is ironic.

"I'm reading financial stories this week, and suddenly I see this headline: 'Credit limits, self-discipline threaten holiday sales.' Did I wander onto The Onion site?

"I swear I'm not making this up..."

No, Mr. Basler, you're not the only one. One of the definitions of ironic is "characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is; 'madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker'; 'it was ironical that the well-planned scheme failed so completely' ". (Princeton's WordNet) That headline certainly fits.

The post goes on with a short list of suggested headlines, following the same "Orwellian logic."

• " 'Narcotics enforcement, rehab programs threaten crack sales.'
• " 'Humane education, shelter adoptions threaten puppy mills'
• " 'Better nutrition, exercise threaten obesity reality shows' "

They'd be funnier, for me, if I hadn't seen loopy logic used by legislators and judges over the decades.

Oh, well: that's the way things are.

Bottom line: Funny? Yes!

Adam Smith AKA Steve Zacharanda Resigns: Proper British Jounalist in Man On the Sidewalk Interview

First, Mr. Smith, best wishes for success: whether it's back with "the Birmingham Mail, the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Sunday Mercury;" or setting up your own magazine; or whatever you'll be doing now.

---

(Caution: There's one bit of rather rude language on the first video.)

"Birmingham mail, afterparty Obama (part 1)"

YouTube (November 5, 2008)
video (3:47)

The video opens with "Here I am, Obama is elected, and I see this guy working. What are you doing?"

That's the start of three minutes and forty seven seconds of questions and sozzled but quite articulate responses from a "proper news journalist," on holiday in the States. "Steve Zacharanda, also known as Adam Smith" had been helping Barack Obama get elected.

Mr. Smith was eager to share his views on Barack Obama, Miami, the Dutch, and his career plans. For starters, it seems he wanted to start his own magazine.

Here's one Q & A:

"So, tomorrow you will be online?"
"Online?! It's not going to be online!! It's going to be printed in papers: I'm a proper news journalist."

Mr. Smith, or Zacharanda, concluded this portion of the interview with:

"My name is Adam Smith, also known as Steve Zacharanda, who has just resigned from the Birmingham Mail, the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Sunday Mercury, to set up my own magazine, the [Bargarlai? Barcarli?]. F**k you, I'm doing what I want to."

By the time I got to it, 125,489 people had visited the YouTube video. Including, it seems, his boss.

There's more, where Mr Smith / Mr. Zacharanda makes some very interesting observations about America:

"Birmingham mail crying (part 2)"

YouTube (November 5, 2008)
video (2:10)

Adam Smith, the Morning After

Where was I?

Oh, yes. His boss saw the video.

The next morning, "Adam Smith, also known as Steve Zacharanda," woke up and discovered that he was a sensation on the Web. Also, that his boss wanted him to call the office.

Here's the comment the now-sober journalist left on the first YouTube video:

"stevezacharanda

"Right, the thing is, right I've just woke up.
And seen this video, which I don't really remember. I've been told to phone the Birmingham Mail because I am in trouble.

"I was off duty, I am on official holiday working at the South Beach Miami Barack Obama campaign where I had just done a 18 hour shift trying to make the world a better place."

"Please check every BBC News Outlet and see if I have cut and pasted anything. I have not, it was a joke and should be taken in the spirit it was said."

The first reply to Mr. Smith's comment was:

"twist3dh4ck

"Hey, they've taken your story off the Birmingham Mail website..." [ellipsis is in original text]

With friends like this: you know the rest.

---

In the news:

• "British journalist covering Barack Obama caught on camera in drunk, plagiarism rant"
  Adam Smith, of Birmingham Mail, is YouTube sensation after drunken 'F*ck you' resignation and admitting to copying BBC
  TimesOnline (November 7, 2008)

Dolly Parton Dead? Another Reason I'm Not a Journalist

Here's the story:

"Dolly Parton Dead, is it True? Dies of Congestive Heart Failure"
The Post Chronicle - Tittle-Tattle Too™ (August 25, 2008)

• "Reports and rumors are swirling that Hollywood star Dolly Parton has died of Congestive Heart Failure.
• "According to reports, Fox News announced today that Dolly Parton has died of Congestive Heart Failure at the age of 60.
• "Reports are still unconfirmed...."

I ran into that item while scanning online news this morning. The phrase that caught my eye was "...According to reports, Fox News announced today...." That's journalistese for "some guy said he saw on Fox News."

I did a little checking. There was nothing on the Fox News website about Dolly Parton's death. On the other hand, I found these nuggets:

• "2 eagles named by Miley, Billy Ray to be set free"
  FOXNews (July 23, 2008)
  • "PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Two 14-week-old American bald eagles named by Disney star Miley Cyrus and her country singer father, Billy Ray Cyrus, will be released into the wild Thursday at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains...."
• "Dolly Parton Threatens to Sue 'Howard Stern' Over Fake Sound Bites"
  FOXNews (May 15, 2008)
  • " Dolly Parton is threatening to sue "The Howard Stern Show" for manipulating recordings from one of her audio books last week into seemingly racist and sexually graphic sound bites...."

I watched Fox News from 11:00 to 11:40 a.m., Central time (That's noon to 12:40 Eastern, 9:00 to 9:40 a.m. Pacific).

Nothing about Dolly Parton's demise. Not in the main coverage, not on the crawl.

Which made me think that Dolly Parton, American cultural icon and part-owner of the Dollywood amusement park, was still alive.

Apart from keeping an eye of the television: that research, and writing this post, took 28 minutes.

I understand that journalists have deadlines, and that thorough research isn't always possible. That's one reason I'm glad I'm my own boss, and not exactly a journalist. I don't have to publish a story with a paraphrase of 'some guy said he saw on Fox News' as my source.

In fairness, some journalists are careful about facts, research their stories, and think: "Dolly Parton Dead? Internet Rumors Run Wild" (Associated Content (August 28, 2008)).

---

More about Dolly Parton and Dollywood:

• Dolly's Official Website
• "Anchor worried she 'might throw up' on camera"
  CNN (July 18, 2008)
• "7 tourist traps you love"
  CNN (May 9, 2008)
  (Dollywood is one of them)
• Dollywood
  • "About Dollywood"
    (A fairly detailed history of Dollywood)

---

Update (August 25, 2008)

Knoxville, Tennessee, television station WBIR is another place where journalists and editors check facts before publishing - or airing.

"Dolly Parton rep says singer alive and well"
WBIR.com (August 25, 2008)

• "...[Dollywood spokesperson Pete] Owens believes the rumor that Parton died from congestive heart failure may have started Friday night. Apparently, a local high school announced Parton's death during its football game. Owens does not know which high school made the unfortunate mistake...."

Another unknown is why the high school decided to announce Parton's death during a football game.

This isn't the first time this summer that a high school announced something that wasn't true, and got caught.

In May, a California high school told its students that several of their classmates had been killed ("Death Hoax Puts El Camino High School in International News " (June 12, 2008)). The California high school had a perfectly good reason for lying: it wanted to teach the kids a lesson.

Maybe it's okay for educators to lie. But 'your friends are dead' at the beginning of summer, and 'Dolly Parton is dead' at the end of the season, raises an interesting point.

High school students aren't particularly stupid. I could easily understand why some would start wondering whether American high schools are reliable sources of information.

Sure: it's just two instances. Where the school got caught. And made national news.

San Serriffe: A Lovely Lot of Islands That Really Aren't There

"San Serriffe "
Museum of Hoaxes

"On April 1, 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page “special report” about San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semi-colon-shaped islands. A series of articles described the geography and culture of this obscure nation.

"The report generated a huge response. The Guardian‘s phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. However, San Serriffe did not actually exist. The report was an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke—one with a typographical twist, since numerous details about the island (such as its name) alluded to printer’s terminology...."

There's quite a bit of detail about the San Serriffe archipelago in this article. Enjoy.

You've Probably Heard: Darfur is a Mess, and Journalists are Getting Killed

Apathetic Lemming of the North is usually a fairly laid-back blog, with posts about geeky watches, ash-tray-shaped couches, and anything else that strikes the Lemming's fancy. Today is going to be different. The Lemming is joining with other bloggers in a "Bloggers Unite" campaign.

"Bloggers Unite is an initiative designed to harness the power of the blogosphere to make the world a better place. By challenging bloggers to blog about a particular social cause on a single day, a single voice can be joined with thousands of others to help make a real positive difference; from raising awareness for cancer, to an effort to better education systems or support 3rd world countries."

The Lemming couldn't decide which cause to focus on, so he picked two that have already been discussed on another blog. ("Another War-on-Terror Blog," another Brian H. Gill Company blog)

Typical. The Lemming is not only apathetic, he's lazy.

The two social causes are 'Darfur' and the regrettable tendency of journalists to become dead in some parts of the world. Both are, in the Lemming's mind, serious situations.

Finally, the Lemming doesn't have a solution for either social cause. But, he does believe that knowledge is power - and that these posts will help you make more informed decisions when voting, or deciding whether or not to donate to a charity, or whatever. Here are those posts:

Darfur

The 'Darfur' crisis extends beyond the western section of Sudan where people are dying. That's an immediate and serious issue. Many people in Sudan who don't belong to the 'in' group aren't being treated all that well.

• "Darfur: Overview of the Current Mess, and Some Background"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (April 23, 2008)
• "British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 3, 2007)

Journalists

Journalists ask questions. That's their job. In some parts of the world, those in charge can tell an annoying journalist to drop dead - and make it stick. That's a problem for the journalist, and for everyone who relies on journalists for information about these alternatively-ethical regimes.

• "Committee to Protect Journalists Unveils the Impunity Index"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (April 30, 2008)

---

Links to other posts in "Bloggers Unite" are at "Bloggers Unite for Human Rights, May 15th 2008," BlogCatalog's official link thread started May 15, 2008. One of the unofficial threads is "Bloggers Unite - the Balloon Goes Up Tonight" - a BlogCatalog discussion thread started May 14.

---

Update - May 16, 2008

Here's a way to keep track of what's happening in Darfur:

"Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth"

The right sidebar of this blog leads with a quote: "They said it could never happen again... But it is happening. Armed conflict in Darfur, Sudan has left over 200,000 dead, forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes and placed millions of people - in Darfur and the neighboring countries of Chad and Central African Republic - at risk of starvation, disease and further attacks. United Nations officials have called this the world's worst humanitarian disaster today. Won't you join us in saving lives?" Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA Executive Director

A link to this blog appears in a month-old discussion thread:

"Let's Not Just Go Back to Our Dinners"
BlogCatalog discussion thread (started April 10, 2008)

CopyCamp, Journalists, and the Information Age

"CopyCamp: An Unconference for News Organizations"

Journalists seem to be realizing that information sharing and distribution has changed, and is still changing. This "Unconference" post talks about an attempt to bring journalists, and journalism, into the Information Age.

'And We're All Gonna Die!' Search Engine Optimization, Journalists, and Facts

"Writing for the Machine: Hysteria among journalists" reminds me of an old joke I just made up:

Recipe for fear and panic:

• Take one handful of journalists
• Add a pinch of facts
• Fold in one gallon of assumptions
• Shake vigorously
• Serve before facts rise to surface

The first paragraph of "Writing" reads, "Last year, The New York Times published an article called "This Boring Headline Is Written for Google," which focused on the effect search engines are having on journalistic writing. The primary focus was on the negative impact of "writing for machines" and the corresponding loss of creativity such an endeavor entails."

My hat's off to a real writer, who brought this post up in a BlogCatalog thread.