Common sense
What Do I Know: NPR: Hype and Paranoia
Someone with experience in the industry says something sensible about the latest tempest in a teapot, the NPR linking form (see various BigBlogs for outrage and shock and the usual condescending "they don't get the Web, man" horsecrap:)
Do they really expect people to use it? I say no.
Then why bother? Because by providing the form NPR legally insulates themselves against any controversy or misunderstandings that could arise from questionable groups associating themselves with the network. The perfect alibi, if you will, and nothing to get all excited about.
Then why bother? Because by providing the form NPR legally insulates themselves against any controversy or misunderstandings that could arise from questionable groups associating themselves with the network. The perfect alibi, if you will, and nothing to get all excited about.
Comments
Agreed that the general over-reaction is, well, over the top, but come on, a no-linking policy on a public website *is* pretty stupid...
Posted by: Luke | June 22, 2002 1:51 PM
Sure, it would be stupid if they expected anyone to follow it - but what he's saying is that they don't, that it's strictly CYA boilerplate. The stupidity is in the Congresspeople whose shortsightedness make it necessary for NPR to take ridiculous and drastic measures like this to avoid the appearance of association. Anyone dumb enough to think "you support anyone who links you" either shouldn't be making funding decisions, or is being insultingly disingenuous.
Posted by: jbm | June 22, 2002 9:12 PM
It's kind of absurd all the way 'round. NPR could probably have come up with a better CYA method (disclaimers, etc) and the so-called "community" could have refrained from collectively leaping into the deep end.
And that's about all I have to say about that.
Posted by: GreyDuck | June 24, 2002 3:24 PM