Center Joins New Nonprofit Investigative News Network
Source: Center for Public Integrity

The Center for Public Integrity has joined with nearly two dozen other nonprofit news organizations nationwide in announcing plans for creation of a new Investigative News Network for watchdog journalism.

The agreement is the result of a three-day meeting at the Pocantico Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY, sponsored by the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Investigative Reporting. A joint statement issued by the groups in attendance — the Pocantico Declaration — lays the groundwork for an unprecedented collaborative network of newly established and veteran nonprofit investigative journalism organizations.

“The Center for Public Integrity joins an ambitious and energetic group of investigative journalists who will help confront the extraordinary challenges faced by newsrooms nationwide,” said Bill Buzenberg, Executive Director of the Center. “This groundbreaking collective network will explore new opportunities to strengthen and sustain investigative journalism and ensure its enduring value to our industry and society.”

The mission of this new Investigative News Network, according to the declaration, is to facilitate the work and public reach of its member organizations, to foster high-quality, original investigative journalism, and to hold government and corporate power accountable at the local, national and international levels.

+ The Pocantico Declaration: Creating a Nonprofit Investigative News Network

Basic Overview of Basic Overview of U.S. and International Production Incentives (PDF; 401 KB)
Source: Entertainment Partners

Entertainment Partners offers comprehensive expert advice and a host of valuable services in the ever-changing, but increasingly important realm of Production/Tax Incentives. Detailed and regularly updated production incentives information is readily accessible through this website, including U.S. and foreign overviews with legislative updates, sales/use and hotel occupancy tax exemption information, and important contacts for your production needs.

+ Map — United States Production Incentives Overview by State
+ Map — International Production Incentives Overview by County

Hat tip: AT

Joan Ganz Cooney Center Identifies Video Games as a Potential Ally in Children’s Health
Source: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (via Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

As the President and Congress seek to reform the health care system and address the glaring gaps in our nation’s educational performance, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop released a report today that specifies how increased national investment in research-based digital games can play a cost-effective and transformative role. The report, Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children’s Learning and Health, provides recommendations for the media industry, government, philanthropy and academia to harness the appeal of digital games to improve children’s health and learning. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio, it was unveiled today at a policy briefing at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

Children as young as four are immersed in a new gaming culture, but many parents, educators and health professionals, concerned over violence, sexual content and reports of addiction, do not consider games to be a positive force in children’s lives. Based on a synthesis of market and scientific research and interviews with industry and academic leaders, the report addresses this critique. It offers a new framework to use games to help children learn healthy behaviors, traditional skills like reading and math, and 21st century strengths such as critical thinking, global learning and programming design.

The report focuses especially on the vital connections that games and digital media can make in promoting children’s potential. Among the promising games reviewed are Sesame Street’s Color Me Hungry, featuring the Muppet Cookie Monster and Dance Dance Revolution, a mass-market game used in hundreds of schools nationwide. These efforts are helping young children learn about nutrition, healthy habits and exercise. The report highlights the role that games have played in other sectors, such as in transforming military training regimens, and how academic centers like MIT’s Education Arcade and non-profit labs like the Institute of Play are pioneering R&D for educational video games.

+ Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children’s Learning and Health

Digital Britain: The Final Report
Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

From the Introduction:
Yesterday, on 15 June 2009, 20 hours of new content were posted on YouTube every minute, 494 exabytes of information were transferred seamlessly across the globe, over 2.6 billion mobile minutes were exchanged across Europe, and millions of enquiries were made using a Google algorithm. The Digital World is a reality in all of our lives. In this report we underscore the importance of understanding, appreciating and planning for this reality and we seek to achieve the following:

An analysis of the levels of digital participation, skills and access needed for the digital future, with a plan for increasing participation, and more coherent public structures to deal with it.

An analysis of our communications infrastructure capabilities, an identification of the gaps and recommendations on how to fill them.

A statement of ambition for the future growth of our creative industries, proposals for a legal and regulatory framework for intellectual property in a digital world, proposals on skills and a recognition of the need for investment support and innovation.

A restatement of the need for specific market intervention in the UK content market, and what that will demand of the BBC and its role in Digital Britain. What that means for the future of the C4 Corporation. An analysis of the importance of other forms of independent and suitably funded news, and what clarification and changes are needed to the existing framework.

An analysis of the skills, research and training markets, and what supply side issues need addressing for a fully functioning digital economy.

A framework for digital security and digital safety at international and national levels and recognition that in a world of high speed connectivity we need a digital framework not an analogue one.

A review of what all of this means for the Government and how digital governance in the information age demands new structures, new safeguards, and new data management, access and transparency rules.

+ Direct link to document (PDF; 3 MB)

FCC Consumer Alert: DTV Reception Problems? (PDF; 25 KB)
Source: Federal Communications Commission

Consumers having difficulty receiving certain television channels following the June 12 transition to digital TV should try these two tips for better reception: “double rescanning”, and double-checking and relocating their antennas. Meanwhile, local broadcasters are working to resolve those issues that originate with their signal.
See also: Remarks of Acting Chairman Copps in the wake of the digital television transition (PDF; 54 KB)

Childhood Abuse, Avatar Choices, and Other Risk Factors Associated With Internet-Initiated Victimization of Adolescent Girls
Source: Pediatrics

A history of childhood abuse may increase Internet-initiated victimization vulnerability. Parents should be aware of the ways in which their adolescents are presenting themselves online. Making adolescent girls and their parents aware that provocative online self-presentations may have implications for sexual solicitation might help to ward off sexual advances and might help prevent Internet-initiated victimizations. Practitioners should consider standard inquiry into Internet and media usage an aspect of comprehensive care.
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From “Treading Water” to “Losing Ground” 2009 TMT Global Security Survey
Source: Deloitte LLP

Losing Ground
The last edition of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT Global Security Survey found that many TMT companies were only just managing to keep up with the growing threats in information security, despite increased spend. What effect does the current economy have on digital security, and what efforts do TMT companies undertake to address the growing number of threats they are facing?
…
Key findings of the survey
The TMT industry is feeling the pressure of the global recession, which is having a profound effect on their spending. Last year’s survey reported that many TMT companies were just managing to keep their heads above water when it came to security. This year’s results indicate companies are explicitly scaling back, which is having a detrimental impact on all aspects of TMT security.

The survey revealed the following key findings:

• Security investment is spiraling down with the economy
• Social networking adds to the list of insider threats
• Outsourcing outpaces security
• Going public about privacy
• Regulatory issues are moving to the forefront
• Virtual and physical security worlds are colliding

+ Key Findings (PDF; 1 MB)
+ Full Report (PDF; 2.2 MB)

Direct to Overview Page, Slideshows and Related Articles

Direct to Complete List.
The complete list can be sorted by rank, name, pay, news rank, web rank, and TV rank.

Top 5
1) Angelina Jolie
2) Oprah Winfrey
3) Madonna
4) Beyonce Knowles
5) Tiger Woods

Source: Forbes

File-Sharing and Copyright (PDF; 358 KB)
Source: Harvard Business School Working Papers

The advent of file sharing has considerably weakened effective copyright protection. Today, more than 60% of Internet traffic consists of consumers sharing music, movies, books, and games. Yet, despite the popularity of the new technology, file sharing has not undermined the incentives of authors to produce new works. We argue that the effect of file sharing has been muted for three reasons: First, the cannibalization of sales that is due to file sharing is more modest than many observers assume. Empirical work suggests that in music, no more than 20% of the recent decline in sales is due to sharing. Second, file sharing increases the demand for complements to protected works, raising, for instance, the demand for concerts and concert prices. The sale of more expensive complements has added to artists’ incomes. Third, in many creative industries, monetary incentives play a reduced role in motivating authors to remain creative. Data on the supply of new works are consistent with the argument that file sharing did not discourage authors and publishers. Since the advent of file sharing, the production of music, books, and movies has increased sharply.

Dying to Play Video Games: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Electrical Generators Used After Hurricane Ike
Source: Pediatrics

Generator-related CO poisoning is indeed common during power outages after hurricanes. However, generators are commonly being used to provide electricity to power entertainment devices for children, such as video games. Additional public education about CO risk is needed, perhaps directed at older children and teenagers through the schools in regions susceptible to hurricanes.

Hat tip: PW

Adolescents Living the 24/7 Lifestyle: Effects of Caffeine and Technology on Sleep Duration and Daytime Functioning
Source: Pediatrics

Many adolescents used multiple forms of technology late into the night and concurrently consumed caffeinated beverages. Subsequently, their ability to stay alert and fully functional throughout the day was impaired by excessive daytime sleepiness. Future studies should measure more than television hours when evaluating the impact of nighttime activities on sleep patterns in adolescents.

Adolescents and MP3 Players: Too Many Risks, Too Few Precautions
Source: Pediatrics

When using MP3 players, adolescents are very likely to engage in risky listening behaviors and are unlikely to seek protection. Frequent MP3 player use is an indicator of other risky listening behaviors, such as listening at high volumes and failing to use noise-limiters.

From the Summary:

Though the economic recession reached a fever pitch in 2008, it had the second highest revenues on record for the U.S. commercial casino industry. According to a report released today from the American Gaming Association (AGA), gross gaming revenues topped $32.5 billion in 2008, a 4.7 percent drop from 2007’s record-breaking total.

Widely regarded as the most comprehensive resource of its kind, State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment offers an in-depth, insider’s look at how the commercial casino industry was affected last year by plunging consumer confidence and the widespread credit freeze. The report includes state and national economic impact data, as well as public opinion polling results on a variety of gaming issues.

Direct to Full Text Report (46 pages; PDF)

See Also: Archived Reports

See Also: New: Facts at Your Fingertips: U.S. Commercial Gaming Industry 2009 (37 pages; PDF)

Source: American Gaming Association

Politicians Spend Millions in Tax Dollars on Self-Promotion
Source: Goldwater Institute

A new Goldwater Institute report, “Shameless Self Promotion: How Politicians Use Your Money to Get Re-elected,” shows Arizona’s elected officials spent more than $4 million in public funds between 2006 and 2008 to showcase their names and images in publications and on billboards and television. The report’s author, Shawnna L.M. Bolick, calls on the Arizona Legislature to stop this misuse of taxpayer funds.
…
From former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano promoting Arizona restaurants on billboards, to a slick brochure featuring Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas that was inserted into major Arizona newspapers, these ads help politicians improve their name recognition and chances for re-election. This puts private citizens, who do not enjoy free advertising on the taxpayer dime, at a distinct disadvantage when running for public office.

Adding insult to injury, these tax-funded advertising efforts are often unrelated to the official duties of the public office. It is not the job of a public official to promote restaurants, congratulate little league teams, or pass out key chains, especially on the taxpayer dime. And the cost of these promotional activities is rarely, if ever, disclosed to the public.

+ Shameless Self-Promotion: How Politicians Use Your Money to get Re-Elected

Saving the news: Toward a national journalism strategy (PDF; 371 KB)
Source: Free Press
From press release:

Today, Free Press released Saving the News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy, a new report on how the government should respond to the current crisis in journalism. The report provides an in-depth analysis of ideas and proposals being debated around the future of the news business and advocates for a range of short- and long-term strategies.
…
The report analyzes the collapse of the traditional business model for news and describes the alternatives emerging in its place. The report argues that new policies are needed to sustain vital professional journalism while embracing digital technology and the power of the Internet.