Tom Pullar-Strecker reckons bloggers are waiting nervously:
Bloggers are nervously waiting for the publication of the Law Commission’s report on “new media” next Monday.
Former Commerce Minister Simon Power raised their blood pressure when he ordered the review in October last year, commenting that there was a “wild west out there in cyberspace”.
InternetNZ chief executive Vikram Kumar said at the time that if that was what Power really believed, “we’ve got reasons to be very, very worried”.
Power was concerned about breaches of suppression orders, libel on the internet, and whether bloggers and online publications should be subject to oversight by the Press Council or Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Uhmmm…no we aren’t waiting nervously. Most of us don’t care what the Law Commission has to say or even knew the report was due. I was a contributor to the report and I didn’t know it was coming out.
All credit to the Law Commission though for seeking out the opinions of bloggers for their report, I spent a half day with them in Wellington giving them some details about how I work, how I operate and my opinions on the Press Council and BSA. I am mildly interested in what suggestions of mine the Law Commission includes but I am far from nervous.
