No, itâ??s not much in the grand scheme of things. But when we think about the cost of DRM to society at large, we need to remember the aggregate of these little things.

A re-broadcasting of excerpts of the Nevada Democratic debate by Democracy Now! allows barred presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to answer the questions asked of the three frontrunners.

A Chinese citizen who was beaten to death for taking pictures with his cell phone of city inspectors beating up villagers who tried to block trucks from unloading trash near their homes has become a bloggers' hero -- and a portal to more activism.

The state of New Hampshire is getting out of the business of issuing identification cards to members of the news media.

The San Diego Union-Tribune laid off 27 employees, including at least five newsroom staffers -- the latest cut in a company that has reduced its workforce by 10 percent in the past month.

Authorities formally charged two French journalists with threatening state security for attempting to report on rebel groups in Niger's volatile north, a crime punishable by death in the West African country.

Like it or not, the news media are part of this election and not mere observers. The whole presidential campaign, on which so much depends, cannot be reduced to groupthink, pack journalism and stampeding.

New cross-media ownership regulations introduced by Canada's media regulator have been attacked by critics who say they will have no impact in the country's heavily concentrated media industry.

The Rev. J. Bennett Guess has been named as the executive director of the United Church of Christ's media justice arm, the Office of Communication.

Excerpt:

E-mail messages sent and received by White House personnel during the first three years of the Bush administration were routinely recorded on tapes that were "recycled;" Two federal statutes require p

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011602202.html body:

WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT ROUTINELY OVERWROTE E-MAIL TAPES FROM 2001-2003
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Williamson and Dan Eggen]

Excerpt:

The media's New Hampshire fiasco was more, much more, than yet another major embarrassment. It was a plea of nolo contendere.

link: http://ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4451 body:

LET THEM PLAY THE GAMES
[SOURCE: American Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Rem Rieder ]

Lost in the uproar over the FCC's changes to media ownership rules last month was another proposal, voted on the same day, that could actually have bigger implications for radio station operators and listeners.

Excerpt:

Former Arkansas Gov.

link: http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/thrifty-huckabee-milks-free-media-2008-01-16.html body:

THRIFTY HUCKABEE MILKS FREE MEDIA
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Klaus Marre and Andy Barr]

With a new labor contract for the Directors Guild of America expected to be announced imminently, Hollywood's top screenwriters could turn up the heat on their union to end its 11-week-old strike.

Despite the Hollywood writers strike, the big TV networks have more than a hundred episodes of scripted series ready to roll out over the next few months. The bad news for viewers: Few are fan favorites.

Johnson Controls, a leading provider of automotive sub-systems, has been granted a patent for a "Wireless Communication System That Enables 'Hands-free' Cellular Phone Use in Automobiles." Laws requiring hands-free driving are already enforced in a few jurisdictions, and are set to hit California in July of this year. With these laws, it's nice to know that a method for using Bluetooth as a hands-free conduit to the car's embedded radio and speakers is a patented idea. This way, we can be assured that the quality of implemented solutions is maintained, and that the inventors of this innovative idea are duly rewarded (in perpetuity) for their toil. With this legalized monopoly on Hands-Free car integration, Johnson Controls will now have the financial incentive to focus on the important inventions of tomorrow. Some may argue that a Bluetooth hands-free link is obvious, and doesn't merit a patent. Others will ask silly questions like "Isn't that what Bluetooth was supposed to do from its inception (prior to this patent filing) and later standardization?" But these oppositionazis are mistaken: this patent is "based on a patent application originally filed in the United States in 1999," back when nobody else could have ever conceived of using the car stereo and speakers for hands-free phone calls. The only reason we find this idea obvious today is because we have been exposed to the 1999 patent application, which fully revealed the brilliant invention to us... well, not entirely since the 1999 application was more vague and general, and this patent was actually just based on it and modified from 2000-2002. Wow. Hands-free through the car speakers. What will they think of next?

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The recording industry is facing the sudden stampede of brand-name artists away from the traditional recording companies. How will they be able to compete without the revenue generated from platinum-selling artists?

Excerpt:

The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies has expanded beyond universal service and intercarrier compensation to add broadband and video to its sights an

link: http://www.xchangemag.com/hotnews/81h1691950.html body:

OPASTCO PREZ CALLS FOR BROADBAND TO FALL UNDER UNIVERSAL SERVICE
[SOURCE: xchange, AUTHOR: Paula Bernier]

Excerpt:

Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit card information and other personal data soared to unprecedented levels.

link: http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/INTERNET_USE?SITE=WABRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-16-13-09-34 body:

ONLINE PRIVACY CONCERNS INCREASE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]

Tribune Co.'s new company handbook may use plain language and jokes, but it could make a legal minefield for the company and its employees.