I saw an interesting blog from Tom Foremski on the techie site zdnet, defending the New York Times' new website paywall and saying he didn't understand the controversy about it.

Discussing the effects of giving news away for free, he writes, "we are witnessing a wholescale dumbing down of our media, and therefore a dumbing down of our ability to make the right choices" for our society.

He contends, as I have on this site and in outlets such as OJR, that people will simply have to pay to get quality journalism if we are to continue to have it in America. How else can papers survive?

Just when you think it can't get any worse ... it gets worse. Turns out that Kevin Provencher, 52, a sportswriter for the Manchester, N.H., Union Leader for 23 years, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to running a prostitution operation.

The prosecution showed he advertised on craigslist and other sites, placed the women he recruited into hotel rooms, demanded half their $240 hourly fee plus the cost of the room, and even collected loyalty rewards points.

And what was the defense of this four-time winner of the New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year award? Why, he was forced into his crimes by a reduction in salary brought about by the newspaper industry's economic woes. Ah well, now he can probably promote himself to sports editor ... of his prison paper.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

This is an interview with Ann Hodges, professor at the University of Richmond Law School and expert on labor and employment law, about teacher unions and school management. Hodges talks about the issues currently playing out in Wisconsin, the challenges of evaluating teachers and the concept of tenure in higher education. About reform, she says, "one would hope that the reform efforts focus on facts rather than misperceptions and real solutions rather than political quick fixes."

Read the Ann Hodges interview 

Some think there's a sense in America that the press has too much power and should not be trusted. Jack Lessenberry, journalism instructor at Wayne State University, comments on this assumption as well as many other current journalism issues. He explains the concept of objectivity and opines that there was never any such thing. Lessenberry also talks about the media shield bill and offers an explanation as to why the bill has lost its vitality. America's airwaves are corrupted with unnecessary and obnoxious information about stars, such as Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, and Lessenberry explains why he says journalistic institutions are acting irresponsibly by putting a mentally unbalanced man on display.

Read the Jack Lessenberry interview 

Wendell Cochran, American University journalism professor, comments on several current journalism issues. He says that no human is "objective" about anything and remarks that what we need to do is "figure out ways and means for the public to have some confidence that we are accountable to ourselves and to our audiences." He says, "More transparency and openness are part of that." Cochran also shares his views on the media shield bill and confidentiality.

Read the Wendell Cochran interview 

Andrea Hickerson, professor in the Department of Communication at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), discusses current issues in journalism including the media shield bill, libel, objectivity and the New York Times' new paywall. She has concerns about the press' ability to tell the truth, check on government and serve the public because of the lack of a federal shield law. She says, "As long as journalists have to worry about recrimination for publishing certain information, there will probably be a chilling effect whereby journalists will be less inclined to pursue stories that could embarrass the government." 

Read the Andrea Hickerson interview 

Dr. Mary Ann Allison talks about the cultural change taking place thanks to the internet. A communications professor at Hofstra University, Allison discusses the changes we are witnessing and what this means for future generations. Find out why should be playing WOW, why embracing change is good for you, and the history of change as humans. A scholar who uses media theory, sociology and complex systems to study change, Allison provides a unique perspective into the current media revolution.

Read the Mary Ann Allison interview.

This is an interview with Professor Martin H. Malin, labor law expert, about teachers' unions, pensions, insurance and pay. Professor Malin explains and comments on many of the issues involving the public sector and offers suggestions to help get away from what he calls a "mandatory-permissive all-or-nothing dichotomy." He advocates transforming schools into unionized high-performance workplaces and wants to see schools move away from the traditional top-down adversarial structure. 

Read the Martin Malin interview

Robert Boonin, an attorney with Butzel Long, talks about teacher unions and analyzes the current situation in Wisconsin. He discusses medical insurance premiums, teacher's pay and shares his thoughts on striking. Boonin says, "Pay, just on the basis of seniority, without any regard to merit, is almost offensive," and explains the challenges of evaluating teachers' performance.

Read the Robert Boonin interview 

Continuing our miniseries on new forms of libel suits ... now we have one from NBA referee Bill Spooner against a Twitter feed from AP coverage guy Jon Krawczynski, according to this story by David Hanners in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Spooner had called a foul on one of Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis' players, and Rambis complained, as is always the case in the NBA. Krawczynski tweeted that Spooner then told Rambis he would "get it back" ... meaning get a makeup call that would go his way.

The lawsuit claims the writer thereby accused Spooner of game fixing, a serious offense. Spooner denies saying it and Krawczynski was very foolish to imply what he did ... he has no way to prove it. The judge may whistle him to the showers and levy a fine.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

In my previous post, I discussed a lawsuit involving possibly libelous online comments in the Indianapolis Star. Now, from a story by Aisling Swift in the Naples, Fla., Daily News comes this new twist ... a lawsuit involving texting, or "textual harassment."

Seems a woman received an anonymous text to her cell claiming her husband had cheated with one of his employees. Since hubby is a multimillionaire, he can easily afford an attorney, and the couple filed suit against Jane/John Doe. The next step is discovering the identity of the texter by forcing it out of the service provider.

We live in an age of new platforms of communication. But sorry, texters and Tweeters and posters, the libel laws follow you wherever you go.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Ben Wyatt, instructional technology designer at Lexington Theological Seminary, talks about the role distance learning will play in the future of education at the college level as well as K-12. Wyatt discusses how and why the Seminary reshaped theological education and refocused the center of learning on the congregation rather than the classroom through extensive online programs.

Read the Ben Wyatt interview