It's tough to keep track of all the various measures at various levels of government aimed at the Internet, one way or another. This essay at LLLRX.com by Beth Wellington illustrates the complexity of the topic, along with suggesting implications for all U.S. based analytic journalists.
“Campaign Finance and the
Internet: A Commentary on the Online Freedom of Speech Act
by Beth Wellington
Beth Wellington is a Roanoke, Virginia based
poet and journalist. She is a contributing editor to the New River Free Press,
a book reviewer for the Roanoke
Times and a member of the
Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative (SAWC) and the
Appalachian Studies Association.
From 1980 to 1997, she was the founding Executive Director of New River
Community Sentencing, Inc. in Christiansburg, Virginia and its predecessor,
New River Community Action's Community Sentencing Program. She contributes to
both SourceWatch.org and
Wikipedia.org. Beth's blog on culture and
politics is The Writing Corner.
Published March 21, 2006
On March 15, The New
York Times published
The Internet Campaign Loophole, an editorial harshly criticizing
H.R. 1606,
“The Online Freedom of Speech Act.”
“For all the avowals to put the brakes on ethical
lapses, the House is showing its true colors with an attempt to turn the
Internet into a free-flowing big-money trough for uncontrolled political
spending. The measure would exempt political ads on the Internet from a reform
law barring corporate and union donors from buying up grateful candidates with
six- and seven-figure contributions.” <more>
