Re: "copyrighted story" - CNN

From: Spectrum Press <specpress[_at_]earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 07:57:11 -0600

Craig A. Summerhill <craig[_at_]cni.org> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 10 Apr 1997, Richard Hopkins <RHopkins[_at_]activision.com> wrote:
> >
> > A recent article on CNN's web site referred to an article regarding
> > reporting missle sightings in NY the day of the TWA crash:
> >
> > "In a copyrighted story, the Pioneer Press reported that investigators
> > are piecing together tapes of air traffic control radar recorded the
> > night of the sightings. "
> > [http://www.cnn.com/US/9704/10/missile.reut/index.html]
> >
> > Why would CNN make such a comment? Simple ignorance of copyright
> > law? Are they suggesting that the Pioneer Press has some exclusive
> > right to this bit of news?
>
> Sounds to me more like a CYA thing. If the news agency had questions
> about the accuracy of some of the content they were re-reporting,
> they might say something like this to reduce their own liability,
> right?
>
> Probably not a very good answer, but it somehow seems more likely to
> me than an assertion that CNN somehow thinks Pioneer Press owns the
> rights to a particular fact.

I suggest a simpler hypothesis is that for the past 20 years the people who populate the ranks of television "journalism" are borderline mentally retarded. The idea of course is to have such people manage content because they are closest to the people for whom the content is intended, the real interest of the executives above being the distribution of the content's attached advertising. "Cretins for cretins" is now the general rule in the media business.

Dan Agin

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Spectrum Press
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"It's the words that make us free." Received on Fri Apr 11 1997 - 13:02:29 GMT