Interesting People mailing list archives
ALERT: KEEP FREE AND OPEN SPEECH ON NET [ as you can see I have an opinion on this .. djf]
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 15:25:51 -0400
Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 13:38:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Meeks Defense Fund <fund () idi net> Dear Net Citizen: How do you put a price on free and open dialogue on the Net? How much are you willing to spend to preserve the concept of roboust and open debate that have become a part of the Internet's culture? $100? $50? $20? What if the cost of helping to preserve an open and robust Net was no more than $1.29? That's right, less than the cost of a fast food hamburger. Freedom on the Internet for only $1.29... cheap at twice the price. A joke? Hardly. The free and open speech, indeed the First Amendment rights of the Internet -- rights we've all enjoyed for decades -- are now being challenged in court. CyberWire Dispatch, the well-respected online newswire written and developed for the Internet community by journalist Brock Meeks, is the subject of a libel suit. CyberWire Dispatch has been at the forefront of bringing the Net community timely and insightful articles. This suit was highlighted in a _Wall St. Journal_ article (April 22, page B1). The subject of a Dispatch investigation is suing Meeks for simply doing what journalists in the traditional print medium have done since the founding of newspapers: Print the facts and let the public decide the outcome. Brock and the Cyperwire Dispatch are examples of the "bottom up" journalism that charachterizes the Net, where anyone with a modem can compete with the traditional press. Of course, most of us don't come to the Net with a lawyer in tow, or the resources to defend a legal action taken against us in courts located hundreds of miles from our homes. This libel action is one of the earliest cases of libel involving alleged defamatory statements published over a computer network. It raises the extremely important legal and policy issues. It's impact may well determine how and to what extent anyone feels free to express strong opinions on the Net, wihtout being put at risk of legal action. It is crucial that Brock have a strong defense and that the principles that come out of this case provide the maximum protection to the exercise of free and open speech as possible. CyberWire Dispatch is unique because it's distributed solely in electronic form. A service for the Net community at large. And all CyberWire Dispatch articles are free. Meeks neither charges anyone for receiving them; he gets paid nothing to write them. For all these efforts, he's being sued. And being sued by a company with a large financial backing. Meeks, on the other hand, has no such resources. His attorney, Bruce Sanford of Baker & Hostetler is arguably the finest First Amendment lawyer in the U.S. And although he has agreed to represent Meeks at a reduced rate, the cost of defending against this unmerited suit will not be cheap. We have formed this committee to lend our support in helping him raise money for his legal defense. And all we're asking you to send is $1.29. That's it. Why that price? The math is easy: $1 in an envelope with a 29 cent stamp applied. Who can't afford $1.29 to help save the great freedoms we all enjoy here today? Can you send more? Of course. Any contributions will be welcomed and accepted. Tax deductible donations also are possible by following the instructions below. All money sent for Meeks' legal defense fund will be go to that purpose. All the administrative services for administering the fund are being donated; 100% of your money goes to defer the legal costs of this case. You are encouraged to repost this message. But please, we urge you to keep proper Net protocol in mind when reposting or cross posting this message. Thanks for your time. On behalf of Brock and for future generations of electronic journalists, we appreciate your contributions and support. Sincerely, Samuel A. Simon President, Issue Dynmics, Inc.* ssimon () idi net Mitch Kapor Chair, Electronic Frontier Foundation* Kapor () eff org David Farber The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunications Systems University of Pennsylvania* farber () central cis upenn edu Philip Elmer-DeWitt Senior Writer TIME Magazine* ped () panix com Marc Rotenberg Electronic Infomation Privacy Center* epic () cpsr org Nicholas Johnson Former FCC Commissoner* 103-5393 () mcimail com Jerry Berman Electronic Frontier Foundation* jbeman () eff org Mike Godwin Electronic Frontier Foundation* mnemonic () eff org *AFFILIATION IS FOR INDENTIFICATION PURPOSE ONLY For Tax Deductible Donations: Make Checks out to "Point Foundation" and clearly annotate on the check: "For Legal Defense Fund." Send those checks to: Meeks Defense Fund c/o Point Foundation 27 Gate Five Road Sausalito, CA 94965 For those who don't care about the tax deductible status, send contributions to: Meeks Defense Fund c/o IDI 901 15th St. NW Suite 230 Washington, DC 20005 #################################################################### # Meeks Defense Fund | Internet: fund () idi net # # ---------------------------------------------------------------- # # c/o IDI c/o Point Foundation # # 901 15th St. NW 27 Gate Five Road # # Suite 230 Sausalito, CA 9465 # # Washington, DC 20005 # #################################################################### ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Samuel A. Simon IDI (Issue Dynamics Inc) | Internet: ssimon () idi net 901 15th St. NW Suite 230 Washington, DC 20005 (202)408-1400 (v/tdd) (202)408-1134 (fax) (202)408-1163 (BBS) ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- ALERT: KEEP FREE AND OPEN SPEECH ON NET [ as you can see I have an opinion on this .. djf] David Farber (May 11)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- re: ALERT: KEEP FREE AND OPEN SPEECH ON NET [ as you can see I have an opinion on this .. djf] David Farber (May 12)
- re: ALERT: KEEP FREE AND OPEN SPEECH ON NET [ as you can see I have an opinion on this .. djf] David Farber (May 12)
- re: ALERT: KEEP FREE AND OPEN SPEECH ON NET [ as you can see I have an opinion on this .. djf] David Farber (May 13)