The Apple order’s implications for the First Amendment

(Updated to add CIA director’s comments, clarifications.) Why shouldn’t Apple simply be a “good corporate citizen,” as some police and politicians have suggested, and crack an iPhone in the investigation of the San Bernadino massacre? It could. But it doesn’t have to. And there’s the rub. What the FBI is …

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The secrets of community newspapers

The secret is out. The typical American newspaper is small, making money and deeply ingrained in its community. You thought you knew that already? Well, you haven’t been listening to the morticians of print trudging across the digital expanse crying ‘Bring out your dead.’ They don’t read smalltown newspapers, probably …

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Defenders of print, unite!

Defenders of print, unite! If journalism were a Marvel comic, I’d want some superhero — Clark Kent, perhaps? — to make that exclamation in bold type every time the evil digital minions cackle over the demise of a newspaper. The cackles came around again this weekend when the Independent, a …

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PUC still wary of Open Meeting Law

Update: After getting an email from Carolyn Tanner, general counsel for the PUC, I’ve added at the bottom her analysis of where I’m wrong in the statute. Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission had a chance Tuesday to clarify its status under the Open Meeting Law when questioned by legislators, but unfortunately …

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The power of daily news in our digital future

By David Chavern, CEO of Newspaper Association of America I was recently invited by Digital Content Next, an association of premium digital content creators, to attend their members’ summit in Miami. The summit was a great chance for me to hear from digital content managers representing a wide variety of …

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Political advertising — the $11 billion opportunity

Start early and simplify. I listened to John Kimball, of The Kimball Group, describe the $11 billion in political advertising to be spent this year and his advice for how newspapers can grow their share. While presidential politics is gathering all the ink right now, 75 percent of that money …

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Judge closes pre-trial hearing to public and press

A Douglas County judge closed a pre-trial hearing to the public and press in a criminal case involving the death of a 2-year-old child, prompting The Record-Courier to protest. District Judge Tod Young granted a motion from defense attorneys for Trent Getty, who is accused of killing his daughter a …

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