Dinosaur “Old World” System Seeks to Tax Alternative Media
Activist Post.com
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Perhaps it is fitting that what Donald Rumsfeld once disparagingly called “Old Europe,” should seek to impose a “Drudge” tax on the powerful new world system of news aggregating and commentary.
Although some might see The Washington Times itself as part of the Old World dinosaur media, they penned an excellent editorial highlighting the essence of bureaucracy and crony capitalism in Germany’s push for a tax which actually punishes those providing a service that the public clearly desires: independent news service.
This action has far more to do with protectionism than protecting intellectual property rights. Websites such as the indispensable Drudge Report, Times 24/7, Real Clear Politics, Digg, Fark and Reddit collect news from sources spread across the Web. These sites are wildly popular because they draw the important stories together in one convenient place, fulfilling a very specific need among a news-hungry public. (Source)
The war on news aggregators by government interests should be the clearest sign of all that this is a product we must defend.
The Rest…HERE
