11Jul 2017 by Lynda Waddington
Act now for net neutrality

Act now for net neutrality

Gazette Column
Following the major win for net neutrality in 2015, many may have thought it was a moot issue. It isn’t, and we all need to act this week to protect and preserve an open internet. The new Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Ajit Pai, has announced plans to reverse rules that protect free speech on the internet. Ending these rules would allow internet providers — like Comcast or Verizon, which is Pai’s former employer — to control what you see, do and say online. This isn’t just about the behind-the-scenes technical stuff or how the internet works. It’s about my and your freedom, about making sure already underserved populations, including low-income or rural areas, aren’t left behind. The FCC is accepting comments on these proposed rollbacks until July 17. The voices of everyday…
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16Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington
FBI latest gov agency to use press

FBI latest gov agency to use press

Gazette Column
When the videotape of journalist Daniel Pearl’s brutal murder was released in 2002, it was handed to an undercover FBI operative posing as a journalist. The move was ironic because Pearl’s captors originally said they believed the Wall Street Journal editor was actually a CIA agent. Weeks before Pearl became a hostage, Editor & Publisher speculated on the risky and widespread use of journalist “covers” overseas, after Taliban defectors said they were approached by intelligence officers in Afghanistan pretending to be journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a total of 1,082 media members have been killed since 1992 (the first year statistics were kept). Of those killed, 715 were murdered, a quarter of them in the Middle East and mostly in Iraq since 2003. Long before these statistics, however, if we are to…
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