Poverty:Global & Ever-Present

Because of the bad economy, everyone is having a hard time these days. Recently, the Census released a report, revealing that approximately 14.3 percent of Americans live in poverty, and the numbers are even worse for people of color.

But what the United States is going through right now is something many in the developing world have been dealing with for many years. This week, world leaders are gathering at the United Nations to discuss the poverty question. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is leading the discussion.

From CNN:

"We have led you to the river, so what are we asking of you today?" he asked a U.N. summit on global goals to fight poverty, hunger and disease. "To stay true, true to our identity as an international community built on a foundation of solidarity, true to our commitment to end the dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty."

But what about debt? Evo Morales might have a solution...

Morales also called for the establishment of a bank for developing countries in the southern hemisphere, including those in Africa and Asia. The bank, if funded with a percentage of the countries' international reserves, could help the countries "break away from our dependency on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank," he said.

During the four years he has served as president, the break with the IMF and the World Bank has helped Bolivia, he said.

"Without the IMF, we're better off than we were before," he said, citing eradication of illiteracy, a drop in extreme poverty from 41 percent to 32 percent and a 42 percent drop in infant mortality.

But Bolivia will not be able to meet the millennium goals unless the distribution of wealth is made more equal, he said, noting that a recent U.N. report says that the poorest 40 percent of the world's population has only 5 percent of global income, while 70 percent of world income goes to the top 5 percent of the world's population.

"That is unfair distribution of wealth," he said. "Our task should be oriented toward putting an end to this unfair distribution."

Who wants to be Haiti's next president?

In case you have been living under a rock for the last couple of days, rapper Wyclef Jean is running for president in Haiti. No, you didn't skip a line; he really is running for the office with 14 other candidates this fall in the earthquake-stricken Caribbean island.

I even have proof:



As much as I like him musically, almost immediately, my skeptic radar went up because he seems to have a bit of a shady past when it comes to his finances. Not only was he accused of misappropriating much-needed donations to Haitians following the earthquake through his charity, Yele, but he is now being accused again of not paying his taxes. So, you have to question how Jean intends to manage a country when its seems like he can't manage himself. Other folks like Sean Penn have brought up issues about accountability and transparency around his campaign and how he would actually run the country. Penn also questioned how dedicated Jean is about his bid. Jean departed from Haiti less than 24 hours after his announcement due to family issues.



And you know your presidential campaign is not going well when your friends turn against you.



Discuss...

Haiti's Rice Problems

Over the weekend, I had a chance to catch the Frontline/World segment on Haiti's aid problems since the earthquake earlier this year. The report specifically focused on the dilemma foreign aid has "caused" on the island, especially for Haitians who sell rice. My issue with this report was the fact that Haiti has had a rice problem long before the earthquake, thanks in part to U.S. policies towards the island.

Excuse me for bringing this up - since NPR won't do it - but last time I checked, Haiti used to grow its own rice. I am surprised that nowhere in the program was this mention. It was almost a given that the United States was suppose to give rice to Haiti, rather than allow it to be food secure with its own agricultural resources.

A little history lesson...

From Reader Supported News:

Today, little rice is grown in Haiti; instead, the nation is a market for the subsidized rice crop grown in the United States. Human Rights lawyer Bill Quigley, now at the Center for Constitutional Rights, wrote about this trend in the spring of 2008, as food riots shook Haiti and other parts of the developing world:

In 1986, after the expulsion of Haitian dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loaned Haiti $24.6 million in desperately needed funds (Baby Doc had raided the treasury on the way out). But, in order to get the IMF loan, Haiti was required to reduce tariff protections for their Haitian rice and other agricultural products and some industries to open up the country's markets to competition from outside countries. The US has by far the largest voice in decisions of the IMF. "American rice invaded the country," recalled Charles Suffrard, a leading rice grower in Haiti, in an interview with the Washington Post in 2000. By 1987 and 1988, there was so much rice coming into the country that many stopped working the land.

Haiti is now the third largest importer of U.S. rice in the world. The rice is "dumped" on the island by American farmers receiving subsidies from the US government to grow surpluses of rice at a rock-bottom rates, undercutting Haitian rice farmers.

And some Americans have the nerve to call Haiti "the basket case of the Western Hemisphere," when, in fact, the United States and their friends at the WTO and IMF are undermining the very structure it needs to survive.

Disgusting...

Political Tweets and Transparency

By now, everyone knows the power social media giant Twitter has had in revolutionizing how our society communicates with itself. Even politicians understand the leverage of sending out 140 characters of talking points to solidify support for their positions. Recently, May 8 edition of The Economist explores political tweeting.

Sebastián Piñera, the newly elected president of Chile, has asked all cabinet members to start tweeting. His own account is now the most-followed in the country. Venezuala’s Hugo Chávez tweets too (@chavezcandanga). In June only three Japanese politicians had accounts; now Politter, a site dedicated to Twitter and Japanese politics, lists 485. An analysis of last year’s German elections by the University of St Gallen discovered that 577 politicians had opened Twitter accounts, three-quarters of them in 2009. Greece’s prime minister George Papandreou uses Twitter. But @primeministergr is the office, not the man. His staff tweet for him, sometimes using a code to signal who wrote what.

However, does social media make politicians more accessible to their constituents and detractors? Possibly not. President Barack Obama won the White House, thanks in part to his campaign's strong use of social media. According to the article, "at its height Barack Obama’s campaign (@barackobama) employed 100 staff working on social media such as Twitter." Nonetheless, "the scale of response makes it hard for office-holders to tweet themselves. Mr Obama reads just a select ten of the messages (20,000 of all kinds) he receives daily."

Recently, Global Wire went out and interviewed ordinary people about their thoughts on this matter. Some opinions were negative.

"At first, it might seem cool to follow and send tweets to your favorite politicians, but then you realize that the politician's Twitter account is being run by some intern or secretary in their office, which I think defeats the purpose of politicians connecting with your constituents about their concerns," said Nadya Ghanem of Turkey.

"What is the point of connecting with politicians online when they are not really connecting with you," said Luis Calbarro of Suriname. "It's like Twitter is no different from sending an email to a politician's office and not getting a response. It might be read or thrown in a inbox with other Tweets. It is all window dressing."

But some were hopeful of the future of political tweeting, like Shelly Kim from South Korea, who was exciting see the digital activism in her country's recent presidential election. Last March there was some controversy over the use of Twitter by South Korean lawmakers and making it accessible for all.

"I have seen the power of why social media is being taken more seriously by politicians because they really do listen to what the people have to say," she said.

Wyclef Jean's side of the story

Wyclef's personal statement on the accusations against his foundation Yele Haiti.

Victory in the Niger Delta?

Good news for the Niger Delta



That's it, $15.5 million?!

There is not enough money in the world to pay the true amount due to the Ogoni people.

The Great Rip-Off

First the banks, now the auto industry.

From Washington Post:

Scan the coverage today of GM's bankruptcy and you'll see a wide range of reaction, from predictions of certain doom to sheer uncertainty about the company's eventual fate. The word "gambling" comes up a lot in reference to President Obama's plan, never a good thing when you're talking about amounts of money ending in 10 zeroes. What you don't see this morning are predictions of success.

It's difficult to find more than a handful of analysts or commentators in the mainstream media (outside of Detroit) who believe that this blueprint is likely to work. Not that it might work, but likely to work. And that is worrying news for the White House, which is working desperately to forestall the company's complete collapse -- and the subsequent economic shock wave -- but may instead be fostering the public perception that it is throwing good money after bad without a clear endgame in mind.

A Rasmussen poll released Sunday pegged support for the GM plan at just 21 percent, with 67 percent opposed. A clear majority of respondents would rather let the company go out of business than provide any more government funding.

Maybe a voice of reason...

From Democracy Now:

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio urged the White House not to subsidize GM’s overseas growth at the expense of US workers. In a statement, Kucinich said, “We must not allow GM to use US taxpayer dollars to close plants in America in order to open markets for products made in China and other countries.” Residents of Detroit said they were saddened and anxious by the bankruptcy of GM.

I ask you Mr President: who will hold GM accountable on behalf of American taxpayers?

No brownie points for Barney Frank

It's about time someone took on these politicians. Barney Frank would have been better served if he didn't come off so defensive.

African bloggers stand up to bad governance

Blogging for social justice has taken off throughout the African continent in recent years. The international television channel, Current, recently aired a “pod,” or a viral video featuring two bloggers who are taken on their governments.

“African Bloggers” features two enduring citizen journalists who are taking risks to tell the truth about political corruption. Cedric Kalonji, a Congolese journalist, started his blog in 2005 as a way to communicate with his friends. However, his writings on bad governance in his country not only grew in popularity, but also gained the attention of the Congolese authorities. Chadian blogger Makaila Nguebla also came under suspicious eyes when he began blogging about the horrors the country’s government has imposed on its citizens. Despite the dangers that come along with their “line of work,” both activists are glad they are making a difference.

“We tell ourselves everything is worthwhile, so long as we contribute to shaking up the system,” Nguebla said.

Peanuts for Obama

About President Barack Obama's first press conference...

From Washington Post:

Rather than engage in a spirited dialogue with members of the press corps, Obama filibustered. After an eight-minute opening statement, he got through only 13 questions in an hour -- and allowed no follow-up questions. His answers were an oddly unexciting combination of familiar talking points and wonky dissertations. It wasn't particularly good TV, and it wasn't necessarily what Obama needed, either...

I would give the president a "B+" for at least answering some hard questions on the economy. Maybe I would also give his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, extra credit for making the rounds on the morning cable shows today to peddle the White House's upcoming website, http://www.recovery.gov, which will be "part of an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government." But I digress for now...

If I had a chance to ask President Obama a question last night, it would certainly not have anything to do with Alex Rodriquez and steroids (why did you ask that question????).

My question: Mr President, do you promise that the next FDA commissioner will hold companies accountable for the safety of their products being sold to the American people?

Because of the "surprising" departure of Tom Daschle, the search for the new head of the Food and Drug Administration is being put on hold.

From Reuters:

..."In general, the Daschle mess slows everything down ... it has frankly really made a mess of all the appointments," said Capital Alpha Partners health care analyst Kim Monk.

On Friday, the White House said it planned to announce a new FDA commissioner in the next few days. But many FDA watchers have said a nominee is not likely until an HHS secretary is confirmed.

Many are eager for new leadership at the FDA, which regulates products that make up roughly a quarter of the nation's economy and has been hammered by a string of safety issues, from the withdrawal of Merck & Co Inc's Vioxx painkiller to the current salmonella outbreak from tainted peanuts...

While some people are concerned about dumb athletes and the choices they make in their personal lives, our food system is silently killing Americans, unbeknownst to them. Is it me, or does there seem to be more salmonella outbreaks that usual in recent years? Well, I say there is no coincidence to this issue. The latest outbreak - peanuts - started in a Georgia factory, where workers knew that their product was tainted and didn't bother to tell anyone.

Did you know that this is just business as usual in the corporate food world and the FDA? Food producers are not necessarily required (in practice) to tell the FDA that their products are crap. You did know that, right?

At least someone in Washington is keeping it real...

From Hartford Courant:

...While innocent people continued to get sick from contaminated peanut butter, the case lingered in jurisdictional limbo between the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, causing critical delays. And when the salmonella's source was finally identified, FDA officials had to wait for industry approval before they could go live with the recall. That is not how a fully functioning regulatory agency is supposed to operate.

To truly fix inherent problems in our food safety system, we must fundamentally restructure the food safety bureaucracy at the FDA. Today, food safety is divided among multiple, separately managed units at the FDA — the Office of the Commissioner, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, the field force (Office of Regulatory Affairs) and the National Center for Toxicological Research. As a result, there is no one single individual to be held accountable for food safety at the FDA or anywhere else at the federal level.

Separating food safety regulation from drug and device approvals would go a long way toward restoring the balance that has long been missing at the federal Department of Health and Human Services, and give food safety the attention it deserves. By establishing a Food Safety Administration within Health and Human Services, headed by its own commissioner, we can give food safety experts and researchers the room and the resources to do their jobs...

Fairey vs. The World

Speaking of memorabilia, the artist behind the ultimate Obama memorabilia got busted last night.

From WCVB:

...Shepard Fairey, 38, was arrested on two outstanding warrants as he was about to enter an exhibition of his work at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Fairey was charged with damage to property for having painted two Boston area locations with graffiti, spokesman James Kenneally said.

Fairey told the Los Angeles Times last year that his "Obey Giant" street art campaign had led to his arrest many times.

Boston police said he had painted his "Andre The Giant" graffiti near an entrance to the Massachusetts Turpike and the Boston University bridge across the Charles River...

Up until this week, I thought those iconic red, white and blue images of our president were created by his campaign. I had no clue who the real artist was until I started watching some TV commercial he is in right now and a new tour of his artwork. Then I read an angry letter in this week's Boston Phoenix.

Fairey, who is notorious for having sticky fingers and “appropriating” other artists’ work for his multi-million dollar company, without giving a dime of compensation or credit when he can, is somehow painted as the innocent anti-establishment artist. Give me a break. You were so busy kissing Fairey’s ass you probably didn’t have time to ask him about René Mederos, the Cuban artist that he stole from to create one of his more popular T-shirt designs. Only when caught did Fairey’s company pull the T-shirt and pay the artist’s family a pittance of a royalty fee. Now Fairey’s most famous work of President Obama is proving to be just as mired in plagiarism — he’s attempting to stiff the original photographer. Fairey’s proving himself to be the next Todd Goldman, and trying to say that finding something on Google means he doesn’t need to give credit where credit’s due. Funny, I found his art on Google — but he wants me to pay him to hang it on a wall.

Way to go, Phoenix — you really know how to side with the short-changed artists.

The photographer Fairey is accused of stealing from is a former Associated Press staffer. If the AP is not down with being stiffed by the blogosphere, they are certainly not going to take crap from some street artist.

The Associated Press, which claims the art is based on a photograph taken by one of its photographers, has alleged copyright infringement and wants credit and compensation.

“We have reached out to Mr. Fairey's attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution." said Paul Colford, AP's director of media relations.

The image, Fairey has acknowledged, is based on an Associated Press photograph, taken in April 2006 by Mannie Garcia on assignment for the AP at the National Press Club in Washington.

"We believe fair use protects Shepard's right to do what he did here," Fairey's lawyer, Anthony Falzone, told the Associated Press.

The image was used by Time magazine on its cover when it named Obama its "Person Of The Year."

I am interested in how this will play out. I wonder if the Obama campaign paid Fairey for helping to get its man elected...

No Vatican Love Online

Shocking News: No one is buying into the Vatican's YouTube channel.

From Times of London:

It only launched last Friday, but already the papal Youtube channel is losing viewers.

A total of 90,411 hits were registered on Vatican YouTube on its launch day, Jan 24. By Monday, the audience for the English language version of the site, which features videos of Pope Benedict's addresses had fallen to 31, 558 views, according to the video measuring service TubeMogul.

The channel, which uses existing content broadcast on Vatican tv and radio channels. Users are not permitted to post comments or ratings while the Vatican Channel does not allow for its videos to be embedded on third-party sites, a factor which may prevent the google site from attracting a larger web audience.

The Vatican hopes to broaden Pope Benedict’s outreach through the channel. In his first appearance on Youtube on Friday, the Pope described the internet as a “great family that knows no borders.”

So long as the family doesn't criticize other family members...

I guess Pope Benedict has at least one thing in common with Barack Obama and Dimitry Medvedev.

Obama's peeps and taxes...

Doesn't anyone in Obama's administration pay taxes?

First Timothy Geithner, then Tom Daschle, and now Nancy Kilefer, the person who was "suppose" to oversee how the federal budget is handled.

From CNN:

...Killefer is a senior director at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. She was nominated last month as Obama pledged to cut unnecessary spending and bring "a new sense of responsibility to Washington." Officials said her position would restore fiscal order and reform government.

"We can no longer afford to sustain the old ways when we know there are new and more efficient ways of getting the job done," the president said in announcing her nomination...

Say it with me: The more things change, the more things remain the same.

Lobbyists continue to screw Americans

While President Obama and Co. make plans for the economic stimulus plan, corporate scum still figure out a way to screw the American people.

From MSNBC:

...The Associated Press learned in interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers, lobbyists and state and local officials, is a shadowy lobbying effort that may make it difficult to discern how hundreds of billions in federal money will be parceled out.

"'No earmarks' isn't a game-ender," said Peter Buffa, former mayor of Costa Mesa, Calif. "It just means there's a different way of going about making sure the funding is there."

It won't be in legislative language that overtly sets aside money for them. That's the infamous practice known as earmarking, which Obama and Democratic congressional leaders have agreed to nix for the massive stimulus package, expected to come up for a House vote this week.

Instead, the money will be doled out according to arcane formulas spelled out in the bill and in some cases based on the decisions of Obama administration officials, governors and state and local agencies that will choose the projects...

...Lobbyists are hard at work figuring out ways to grab a share of the money for their clients, but the new rules mean they're doing so indirectly — and sometimes in ways that are impossible to track.

It's good to know that newly-minted Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner - you know, the guy who doesn't pay taxes - is going to take care of everything.

From New York Times:

A release from the Treasury Department said that under the new rules, the government would restrict “contacts with lobbyists in connection with applications for, or disbursements of, EESA funds,” shorthand for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. It said that the department’s Office of Financial Stability would certify to Congress that “each investment decision is based only on investment criteria and the facts of the case.” And it promised full transparency and close scrutiny to block any effort to use political influence as EESA decisions are made.

whatever...

President Obama Achieves First Victories

No, silly rabbit, I am not talking about him being allowed to keep his Blackberry (although I am happy for him.)

I am talking about two good policy decisions President Obama has made since taking office. One is regarding closing down Guantanamo Bay.

From CNN Wire

In one of his first acts in office, President Obama has ordered the U.S. government to suspend prosecutions and review all cases of suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, military officials announced late Tuesday.

Papers filed at the U.S. prison camp said the request is made “in the interest of justice and at the direction of the president of the United States.” It seeks a 120-day continuance in all cases to carry out a “thorough review of both pending cases and the military commission process generally.”

“The judges will receive the requests and review them, and we anticipate a ruling soon,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Defense Department spokesman.

Also, on the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama is expected to overturn the Mexico City Policy.

From New York Times

There was also speculation about whether President Obama would use today’s anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision to reverse the so-called “Mexico City policy,” which forbids the flow of federal money to international family planning organizations that provide abortions or related services and counseling.

The policy, which President Ronald Reagan put in place in 1984, was repealed by President Clinton early in his term. President Bush’s reinstated the ban in his first executive order on Jan. 22, 2001.

Inspite of these positive agenda items, I guess my overall beliefs of Obama's long term vision is on the same line of thinking as Aaron MacGruder's, who understands the reality of American Empire.

But you know, I have pledged to make sure I will hold the Obama administration accountable whenever necessary and possible.

It was a good thing I looked at my email a few minutes because I got a notice about a really cool project the National Black Programming Consortium is doing these days.

The Virtual Open Letter project was conceived and produced as part of the New Media Institute 2008. The project was conceived as community record of voices to the new President Barack Obama and his administration. Here are the voices of all Americans eager to give the president their honest opinions on what he should prioritize as his administration deals with a tall order of crises.

To write a letter to President Obama: http://tothepresident.com/

Or give him a call at 866-927-1216

Who knows? Maybe Obama will see some of these comments on his Blackberry!

Change Has Come to - Cyberspace?

Being the fabulous new media consultant that I am, I noticed on WhiteHouse.gov that the Obama administration took over the website at 12:01 PM today (Obama was technically the president already, even though he hadn't taken the oath yet) His new media director, Macon Philips, has already posted three blog entries.

As far as transparency is concerned...

From WhiteHouse.Gov

...President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities...

Apparently, President Obama will keep his promise of publishing "all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it."

However, please note that one can view his blog posts, but CAN NOT comment directly on entries for the world to see. Commenters have to fill out a private comment form. I just want to know how selective the administration will be about reposting comments on the blog and/or if they will reply directly to commenters. Like we mentioned here before, no space to respond on new media tools implies shady business is happening.

So much for transparency...so far.

Can we talk about poverty now?

Class - the third rail of American politics - is rearing its ugly head more often these days as the economic downturn cripples the wallets of average Americans. But don't expect your elected officials to do anything in support of their constituents anytime soon.

From Boston Globe:

UNEMPLOYMENT is at its highest level in 15 years. Housing prices won't stop falling. The stock market has suffered its most punishing collapse since 1931, and shareholders have lost $7 trillion in wealth. Millions of workers have lost their jobs; millions more are worried about losing theirs. IRAs and 401k accounts have been decimated, and companies are halting their contributions to retirement plans. Retail sales are dragging, the credit markets have seized up, and worse is expected in 2009. The government has gone to unprecedented lengths to improve the economy, yet the economy keeps getting worse. The federal budget deficit is headed for a trillion dollars, and the national debt is well over $10 trillion and climbing. The number of Americans saying the country is on the wrong track is at or near its all-time high; consumer confidence is at its all-time low.

So what do you do now?

Well, if you're a member of Congress, you give yourself a raise.

Beginning this week, US representatives and senators will be paid $174,000 a year. That represents an increase of $4,700 and the 10th time since 1998 that congressional pay has been given a boost....

..."Finding anyone brave enough to defend the pay hike in Washington these days is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack," writes McClatchey's Rob Hotakainen. "When asked to comment, normally accessible members quickly go missing, are on vacation, are extremely busy with family members, or can't be reached on their cellphones because they're in remote locations."...

...Hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when members of Congress didn't make it an annual priority to pad their pay envelopes. In 1932, during the Great Depression, the House and Senate even cut their pay by 10 percent, then cut it by another 5.5 percent in 1933. Today's lawmakers, save for a handful of honorable exceptions, are about as likely to follow that precedent as they are to sprinkle anthrax on their Cheerios...

Between Detroit's Big Three, Bernard Madoff and Congress, it's time for Americans to rise to the occasion and take back this country from the mad men. Who is with me?

Presidential New Media

Speaking of Barack Obama's YouTube Chats:



As tech savvy as the president-elect is, he is hardly the first head of state to use new media to communicate with the masses. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has used podcasts and viral video since 2006 to discuss policy issues in her country.



Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gets his no tie-wearing, metrosexual swag on in this video.



Even the King of Sound Bites himself, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is believed to be the first world leader to have a blog, which is posted in four languages but hasn't been updated in over a year.

One question: Will new media make politicians more transparent in the future? Well, it is still too early to see, as it is so far showing to be a mixed bag. Merkel at least answers questions submitted to her by the public in her vlogs. Whether "her people" are selective about what she will answer is another issue. Ahmadinejad's blog is full of "praiseful" comments, while Medevedev's blog takes no comment.

So much for freedom of speech.

Media Ethics Lesson: Deep Throat

America’s most famous anonymous source, Mark Felt, or Deep Throat as he was better known to the world as, died yesterday at the age of 95.

From Washington Post:

As the second-highest official in the FBI under longtime director J. Edgar Hoover and interim director L. Patrick Gray, Felt detested the Nixon administration's attempt to subvert the bureau's investigation into the complex of crimes and coverups known as the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

He secretly guided Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as he and his colleague Carl Bernstein pursued the story of the 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate office buildings and later revelations of the Nixon administration's campaign of spying and sabotage against its perceived political enemies.

By the way, All the President's Men is a slamming movie, as is Frost/Nixon, which I will speak more about in a later post. But I digress.

Woodward and Bernstein promised to not reveal Deep Throat's identity until after his/her death or the person gave consent to be revealed. According to his book, The Secret Man, Woodward speculates on Felt's reasons for keeping silent about his identity as Deep Throat for so many years. Following the Watergate scandal, Felt was seriously investigated by the F.B.I. for possible illegal activities that he had committed as an agent during the Hoover years. In 1980, Felt was convicted of the felony of violating the civil rights of people thought to be associated with members of the Weather Underground by ordering FBI agents to search their homes as part of an attempt to prevent bombings. He was ordered to pay a $7,000 fine but was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan during his appeal.

During the time he was being investigated, Woodward says, Felt needed to preserve his law enforcement ties. He would have placed these ties in serious jeopardy if he had revealed his role as Deep Throat. After Felt's 1980 conviction, Woodward reports, he called Felt and asked if it would help Felt's appeal of the conviction if Woodward were to spread Felt's secret. Felt took exception to his suggestion, under the pretense that if he were revealed as Deep Throat, it would have a pernicious effect on his appeal.

Here are my questions:

Do you think it is ethical for journalists to keep their sources anonymous for an undetermined amount of time?

Yes, I think it was correct for Bernstein and Woodward to protect Felt's identity. While I am a big supporter of transparency, there are times when it is necessary to protect the source from any backlash.

Is it possible for sources to stay anonymous in the age of new media and 24-hour cable networks?

Probably not. Even if a reporter did try to protect its source, the blogosphere would pick up the story anyway. Remember, Felt had been rumored to be Deep Throat for over ten years prior to his revelation. Some blog (maybe mine!) would have found out the truth.

Your thoughts...

Facebook members want Peter Thiel out

Over the last few months we have highlighted many grassroots movements that effectively use the social networking tool Facebook to advance their activism. However, there is actually a group of Facebook members currently using it for their own kind of activism – protesting Facebook!

Technology venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who sits on Facebook's Board of Directors and is one of Facebook's biggest investors, allegedly donated $1 million to NumbersUSA, one of America’s leading anti-immigration organizations and what the Southern Poverty Law Center has called a hate group. Facebook members have formed a group, demanding that Thiel be held accountable, either by denouncing NumbersUSA, or leaving Facebook's Board of Directors. In the meantime, group members are being asked to opt-out of Facebook ads.

“What's the worst is that our use of Facebook is contributing to his donations,” group member Chase Weatherfield Bauer. “Get out, dude.”