Prof. Claudia Lingertat-Putnam, College of St. Rose, states that federal laws addressing cyberbullying may not be enough due to the anonymous nature of cyberharassment. She believes that proactive behavior such as parental involvement, open communication and awareness of online behavior may assist in managing this insidious online problem.

Read Claudia Lingertat-Putnam's Interview

The best lengthy media analysis piece I've seen in a long time is this one by Emily Miller in PoliticsDaily.com.

In it, she dares ask the heretofore unthinkable question: does the National Enquirer deserve a Pulitzer Prize for its investigative work in breaking the John Edwards scandal?

The Enquirer basically owned that story, telling of Edwards having a mistress who eventually bore his child while the candidate was trumpeting his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth as a family asset.

Now, the story is back in the news as a new book, "Game Change," takes it a step further with revelations that three staffers quit because of the affair, and Edwards' wife angrily opened her shirt in front of staffers to show him and them her breast surgery scars.

Should the Enquirer win the Pulitzer, and can it? Yes, because with the rest of the press snoozing during the presidential campaign and aftermath, what other investigative work was there; and no, because the journalism establishment figures who control the prizes look down at the Enquirer as "tabloid trash" ... the same phrase Edwards used when he denied the story.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Bob Kessinger, VP of operations for CyberPatrol, states that federal laws will need to be written or amended to address cyberbullying. He admits, however, that there are tremendous difficulties in both composing and enforcing these laws. Kessinger explains the Technology Multiplier effect, which makes cyberbullying more complex than traditional bullying

Read Bob Kessinger's Interview

Fired Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach has filed court documents accusing his former university bosses of making "slanderous and libelous" statements against him.

The school ousted him after a player who had suffered a concussion claimed he was forced to stand for hours while confined in a dark place during practice.

Ordinarily, I'd say a libel suit from Leach would be a waste of time as he would no doubt be classified as an almost libelproof public figure, and even more so after the extensive public discussion of this incident.

But hold on. The coach disputes the player's allegation, and he states a cause of action: "The mere allegation that a head football coach would mistreat a student athlete threatens that coach's reputation and prospects for future employment and exposes him to ridicule and contempt."

What's more, not only does he have a cadre of lawyers to press his point, he also has a law degree himself from Pepperdine ... surely one of the few major college coaches in America to have a law degree.

Given his determination in bringing prominence to an obscure football program and his maverick personality ... he styles himself as a pirate ... don't count him out in getting somewhere with his libel case.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Congratulations to Bloomington, Ill., Pentagraph editor Mark Pickering for instituting a cooling-off period over the New Year's holiday weekend for comments on local stories on his paper's website.

He explained that far too much feedback had become "offensive and devoid of civility, the worst of which include personal attacks and/or assertions that have nothing to do with the story."

Since self-policing by readers seldom works, one way for papers to stop a small minority of creeps from taking over their discussion forums and still provide a range of community expression is to have a screening editor. But that means devoting staff time ... something almost all papers today don't want to do.

So the best way is to start charging for website access. The last thing the worst offenders want to do is spend money, assuming they have any, so the problem should largely go away.

P.S. Congratulations also in the same vein to Gannett Blog editor Jim Hopkins, who has relaunched his formerly vitriolic site with a new difference: he told JiltedJournalists he's making the tone "more civil" and "moderating comments more carefully."

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Read the Mary Muscari Interview.

OJR ... the Online Journalism Review out of the University of Southern California ... is among the top few sites in the country discussing media issues.

It happens to have an interesting critique right now of the media shield bill being rushed through Congress. The article contends that the bill gives too much power to the press, and it should be changed so that reporters who significantly goof or slant or get duped in reporting information from anonymous sources could have that confidentiality protection removed by a judge if the story goes to libel trial.

Let's see now, who's the author ... who's the author ... OK, it's me. But if you want to tell me how wrong I am, just post at the end of the article.

My colleague, OurBlook's own Sandy Ordonez, also has an article on OJR. It's a look at the successful ethnic press and how it could serve as a model to ease the financial woes of the MSM.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Stephens Farnsworth, George Mason communications professor, provides an indepth interview on the pros and cons of the Media Shield bill. Farnsworth believes that the quality of journalism suffers without more protection for journalists. He states, " [media shield law] could have made it possible for more effective investigations of government misconduct in the past. And, if the law passed, it will help future reporter investigations."

Read the Stephen Farnsworth Interview.

In case you missed it, I wanted to mention a recent op-ed opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that was terrific.

Written by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and CivilNation founder Andrea Weckerle, it called for more civility and less abusiveness online.

It said online comments often consist of "semi-literate, vitriolic remarks that appear to serve no purpose besides disparaging their intended target." It urged victims to stop being doormats ... to stop thinking "hostile online speech is a tolerable form of free expression" ... and fight back by speaking out.

To which I can only add, way to go ... and our site will be doing a discussion topic on this issue.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Ever notice how journalists are portrayed negatively on TV, such as in "Law and Order?" Reflecting a popular perception, they're shown as pushy jerks.

That came to mind when I read a Wall Street Journal article about a San Francisco area woman who personally inspected 298 homes before finally buying one for ... get this ... $5.9 million.

While buyers reasonably want to see a selection of homes, a dozen or so prescreened by the realtor would seem to be enough in most circumstances. Any more than that usually means the buyer has become unreasonable, impossible to satisfy, going to an extreme or not really ready to buy.

And what did this California woman who went to an extreme used to do for a living? Why, she was a reporter for UPI. If there's ever a West Coast "Law and Order," she would fit right in.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.