In my latest for the Guardian, I attempt to break down the issues in the case of GateHouse Media v. New York Times Co. to their essentials — and urge that the two sides settle their differences lest the future of online journalism be harmed.
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At the risk of repeating myself, “Sounds like, just as hard cases make bad law, Boston.com’s pushing the envelope, and GateHouse’s commensurate response to it, are making things more difficult for others.”
As publisher of YourArlington.com, a citizen-journalism site covering Arlington, Mass., and a GateHouse competitor, I offer my thoughts. See http://www.yourarlington.com/joomla/component/option,com_jd-wp/Itemid,85/p,74/Bob Sprague
Dan and Bob, while I understand the Rodney King-like “Can’t we all get along” sentiment, I disagree that the lawsuit should be dropped or settled swiftly. To the contrary.Both of you acknowledge that this case will shape the future of on-line journalism, so why rush it? I can think of no better justification for the slow and deliberate pace of our court system. This case is far too important to drop or to rush. Plus, we’ve done without “yourtown” this long, I think we can wait another year.
This is great. In a time when newspapers are in serious financial trouble, one of the most insolvent in the industry is willing to belly up to the table and put on a most expensive show for all of us to watch and find out if the Court is willing to rule that information we post on the Internet is in the public domain.Is it reasonable to expect that the rights to protected property remains so protected once posted in such an uncontrolable environoment? Can we expect protection from anyone by leaving property unprotected, without any safeguards?GateHouse certainly has a right to their copyrighted and other protected material, but blabbering local news on the Internet may be beyond the scope in preserving that right. In any case, they get to pay the lawyers, and we get to watch for free. If they win, they loose exposure, and as such, business. If they loose and remove the content from the Internet, they lose more.If the New York Times lawyers are unsure of their position, the Times and the Globe should not hesitate to do the honorable thing and withdraw immediately, with an apology.
There is an interesting column from veteran newsman and present publisher of a web based Cape Cod site Walter Brooks in today’s Providence Journal.His interesting point is that not long before GateHouse folds into bankruptcy it is attempting to ruin the Internet along the way.