See more here.
Catching up on #Wikileaks #Cablegate
November 28, 2010 Leave a Comment
Is it justified? Should a newspaper disclose virtually all a nation’s secret diplomatic communication, illegally downloaded by one of its citizens? The reporting in the Guardian of the first of a selection of 250,000 US state department cables marks a recasting of modern diplomacy. Clearly, there is no longer such a thing as a safe electronic archive, whatever computing’s snake-oil salesmen claim. No organisation can treat digitised communication as confidential. An electronic secret is a contradiction in terms.
Anything said or done in the name of a democracy is, prima facie, of public interest. When that democracy purports to be “world policeman” – an assumption that runs ghostlike through these cables – that interest is global. Nonetheless, the Guardian had to consider two things in abetting disclosure, irrespective of what is anyway published by WikiLeaks. It could not be party to putting the lives of individuals or sources at risk, nor reveal material that might compromise ongoing military operations or the location of special forces.
Read full article.
Charlie Brooker. Twitter Terrorist Alerts
November 15, 2010 1 Comment
The moment I’ve finished typing this, I’m going to walk out the door and set about strangling every single person on the planet. Starting with you, dear reader. I’m sorry, but it has to be done, for reasons that will become clear in a moment.
And for the sake of transparency, in case the powers-that-be are reading: this is categorically not a joke. I am 100% serious. Even though I don’t know who you are or where you live, I am going to strangle you, your family, your pets, your friends, your imaginary friends, and any lifelike human dummies with haunted stares and wipe-clean vinyl orifices you’ve got knocking around, perhaps in a secret compartment under the stairs. The only people who might escape my wrath are the staff and passengers at Sheffield’s Robin Hood airport, because they’ve been granted immunity by the state.
Last week 27-year-old accountant Paul Chambers lost an appeal against his conviction for comments he made back in January via the social networking hoojamflip Twitter, venting his frustration when heavy snow closed the airport, leaving him unable to visit his girlfriend.
“Crap!” he wrote. “Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”
Read full story.
“Quoted” for #cmn10 in the Guardian
June 14, 2010 1 Comment
“A cloud wept and then departed from The Church and media conference 2010 in Swanwick last week, but given the conference’s theme – “Voices from the Cloud” – it seemed appropriate. Over the course of the three day conference in Derbyshire BBC broadcasters, TV and film producers, freelancers and church media people were asked how voices of faith and integrity could make themselves heard among a maelstrom of stories.”
Read the full article by Karen Burke, which finishes: “So, “What are the voices in the cloud saying to us as a community?” Andrew Graystone, conference host, asked us as it drew to a close. As I was leaving, I heard someone say that everything has speeded up but the Christian response.” (That would be me, so quoted, but not by name…!). Read further material from #cmn10.
Guardian (debate)
April 13, 2010 1 Comment
A large debate in today’s “Education Guardian”, when I was at the JISC2010 conference. Find some of the debates here.
The Guardian: PDA Media
February 16, 2010 Leave a Comment
As BBC News staff were told to consider social media content as a news source (as critically as any other source), it seemed a good time to check out ‘PDA: The Digital Content Blog‘, produced by the Guardian.
Recent Comments