Free Press: Media Reform Headlines

Who Advertises on News Sites and How Much Those Ads Are Targeted

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:48:25 -0500

Between 2011 and 2015, revenue from digital advertising in the United States is expected to grow by 40 percent and to overtake all other platforms by 2016. Yet how much of that growth will go to underwrite news remains in doubt and throws into question the financial future of journalism as audiences continue to migrate online.

Sun Condemns Tabloid 'Witch Hunt' As More Journalists Arrested

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:47:10 -0500

The Sun newspaper and the National Union of Journalists have condemned the Metropolitan police for leading a "witch hunt" against tabloid journalism, following another round of arrests this weekend.

Sun Journalists Fear Further Arrests As Police Investigation Gathers Pace

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:42:13 -0500

Journalists at the Sun newspaper braced for more arrests as the investigation into illegal practices at News International continued to gather pace.

Factory Conditions Elicit Little Outcry

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:38:23 -0500

Amid renewed reports of poor working conditions in China at factories making products for Apple and other companies, it's unclear whether users will demand change.

What to Make of AT&T's Vanishing Spectrum Crisis

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:34:37 -0500

Is AT&T failing to keep its story straight about the need for more spectrum, or is it just that the popping of the spectrum bubble has taken them by surprise as well? Recently the nation’s second largest operator has seemed to back off from some of its more aggressive claims about how fast data traffic was growing.

Startups Seek to Help Users Put a Price on Their Personal Data

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:31:16 -0500

People have been willing to give away their data while the companies make money. But there is some momentum for the idea that personal data could function as a kind of online currency, to be cashed in directly or exchanged for other items of value. A number of startups allow people to take control — and perhaps profit from — the digital trails that they leave on the Internet.

Europeans Protest Controversial Internet Pact

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:29:23 -0500

More than 3,000 Bulgarians rallied in Sofia, kicking off a series of European protests against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom. Rallies were also beginning to get under way elsewhere across Europe against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which was negotiated between the 27-nation European Union and 10 other countries.

Phase-Out of State Aid Proposed in R.I., Oklahoma

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:25:55 -0500

Pubcasting networks continue to deal with the uncertainties of state funding in economically and politically precarious times, closing offices, facing possible cuts and bracing for the consequences.

AT&T to Double Upgrade Fee to $36, Says It's Covering Costs

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:16:35 -0500

Effective Feb. 12, AT&T will double its upgrade from $18 to $36, a move the company says is necessary to cover overall costs associated with selecting and activating new equipment.

Numerous Small Television Producers Seek Waiver of FCC Closed-Captioning Rules

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:03:02 -0500

In the wake of Commission's rejection of hundreds of closed-captioning waivers last year, many small television producers are now seeking new waivers for relief from the Commission's television closed-captioning rules.