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Diggin' Dirt
Hvad skal et stort firma gøre, hvis det bliver kritiseret, f.eks. på en blog? Jo, siger børs- og finanstidsskriftet Forbes.com, hvis et firma bliver udsat for kritisk journalistik, bør det straks slå igen:
BASH BACK. If you get attacked, dig up dirt on your assailant and feed it to sympathetic bloggers. Discredit him.Den første af disse regler gælder åbenbart også i dansk politik - det er i hvert fald svært at finde andre forklaringer på nogle af Ny Alliances problemer, herunder de seneste ... og i amerikansk politik gælder de i hvert fald, hvor enhver højlydt kritiker af præsident Bush kan forvente at få sit privatliv endevendt for alt, hvad der kan udlægges som "saftige detaljer", som Plame-sagen så tydeligt viser.
ATTACK THE HOST. Find some copyrighted text that a blogger has lifted from your Web site and threaten to sue his Internet service provider under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. That may prompt the ISP to shut him down. Or threaten to drag the host into a defamation suit against the blogger. The host isn't liable but may skip the hassle and cut off the blogger's access anyway. Also:Subpoena the host company, demanding the blogger's name or Internet address.
SUE THE BLOGGER. If all else fails, you can sue your attacker for defamation, at the risk of getting mocked. You will have to chase him for years to collect damages. Settle for a court order forcing him to take down his material.
Bemærk også, hvordan man mener at kunne bortcensurere ubehagelige stemmer ved hjælp af grundløse klager til eller trusler mod pågældendes internetudbyder.
Forbes' anvisninger har dog ikke passeret helt uimodsagt - det amerikanske Internet Press Guild har bl.a. svaret, at de er stærkt bekymrede over, at man her
... lays out a road map for legal harassment and smear tactics to be used against bloggers who report critically on corporate activities. The dividing line between journalists and bloggers is a hazy one. We would think that Forbes would be the first to agree that the ability of journalists (online or print) to report on the behavior of companies without fear of reprisal is a cornerstone of the First Amendment.Men måske mange firmaer er enige med regeringen i, at hvis en sådan "investigative press" ligefrem rammer dem selv, er den nok lidt overvurderet? Jeg er i hvert fald ikke i tvivl om, at Forbes' anvisninger også i fremtiden vil blive fulgt i "nødstilfælde" som Wilsons kritik eller Khaders pludselige og ubekvemme styrke. Man kan vel nøjes med at håbe på, de ikke ligefrem bliver normen.
There are perfectly adequate outlets for wronged parties to address negligent reporting, through libel law. This sidebar is a blueprint for corporations and private individuals to intimidate reporters and damage the investigative press that the American public depends on.