In The News

Bloomberg Should Have Rethought Articles on China, Chairman Says

Neil Gough March 21, 2014
The chairman of Bloomberg L.P. waved a white flag over news coverage on China – and suggested that investigative journalism is inappropriate for a company that sells expensive business terminals. Peter T. Grauer’s comment as reported in the New York Times – “Our approach is pretty much to tune out all the news about weaknesses in the emerging markets” – implies that the company can sell a product...

Turkey's President Gul Challenges PM's Move to Ban Twitter

Rory Cellan-Jones March 21, 2014
Those who try to shoot messengers often appear guilty, frustrated and infuriated about getting caught. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to wipe out a social-media site and “took action against Twitter after some users had posted documents reportedly showing evidence of corruption relating to his office – a claim he denies,” reports Rory Cellan-Jones for BBC News. “His spokesman said Mr...

“Netflix for Piracy” Popcorn Time Saved by Fans

Dave Lee March 19, 2014
Consumers can’t resist the lure of free entertainment. The film industry may want to shut down software development that provides easy sharing, but Popcorn Time may have the last laugh. The service that freely streams digital content as BitTorrent files, including movies, has been released as open-source software posted free online and already translated into 32 languages. “This means that anyone...

Sochi Olympics Played Differently to Different Audiences

Liz Clarke February 24, 2014
As host of the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia was on display. For the home audience, the games were a huge success in terms of infrastructure investment, dazzling athletic displays and details in showmanship that reflected national pride. Western media introduced global audiences to Russia with negative reports about extremism over Chechnya, warm weather that led to poor track and slope conditions...

Linking to Free Web Content Is Legal, Says EU Court

February 17, 2014
Free online content can be freely linked by others and does not violate copyright law, so rules the European Court of Justice. A Swedish court requested the ruling after disputes between journalists and a web company that posted links to online news articles, reports BBC News. “The journalists argued in the original case that users of Retriever Sverige's website would not know that they had...

Venezuela's President Blames Soap Operas for Crime

Fabiola Sanchez January 28, 2014
Once the United States ended its love affair with late afternoon soap operas, a result of women joining the workforce and television turning to talk shows, South America filled the void with telenovelas. Some creators and analysts credit the popular long running storylines with reducing birthrates, increasing awareness of women’s rights and reflecting society’s increasing violence. Venezuelan...

If You See Something, Say Something

Michael E. Mann January 21, 2014
Climate scientists are in 97 percent agreement that rapid climate change is underway and immediate response could stem the effects of warming temperatures and rising seas. The media often suggest the issue remains under debate. “If one is looking for real differences among mainstream scientists, they can be found on two fronts: the precise implications of those higher temperatures, and which...