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NPR Reconsiders Linking Policy

Posted by timothy on from the of-all-things dept.

jfruhlinger writes: "Slashdot wasn't the only site I saw that commented on NPR's stupid linking policy, but I'm sure it generated a lot of traffic and comments to NPR's site. Now NPR has issued a statement that they are reconsidering that policy. The statement goes into the reasons why the original policy was established -- it looks like it was an overkill response to a legitimate problem. It concludes with the encouraging statement that 'NPR also recognizes that the majority of the linking on the Web is not infringement. We are working on a solution that we believe will better match the expectations of the Web community with the interests of NPR.'"

8 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Great, we win... by donnacha · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now NPR has issued a statement that they are reconsidering that policy.

    ... upon which poor sucker do we unleash the /. effect next?

    1. Re:Great, we win... by interiot · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, I saw a far more hubaloo on the blogs than I did on Slashdot. And I'd hazard a guess that there were many more links (or readers, if you lean that way) to the original BoingBoing post than there were to the Slashdot story.

  2. Why don't they just reconfigure their server? by LordNimon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do they even need a policy? Their web server can be configured to use the referrer tag to allow whatever deep linking they accept, and reject everything else. Wouldn't it be nicer if they paid their programmers instead of their lawyers?

    --
    And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
    To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
  3. This is far from a win by mouthbeef · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Reposted from BB:

    NPR claims to be reconsidering its link policy, and in the meantime, it's posted more specious rationalization. Brutally, brutally stupid.

    The policy was originally intended to maintain NPR's commitment to independent, noncommercial journalism. We have encountered instances where companies and individuals constructed entire commercial Web "radio" sites based on links to NPR and similar audio. We have also encountered Web sites of issue advocacy groups that have positioned the audio link to an NPR story such that one cannot tell that NPR is not supporting their cause. This is not acceptable to NPR as an organization dedicated to the highest journalistic ethics, both in fact and appearance.

    However, NPR also recognizes that the majority of the linking on the Web is not infringement. We are working on a solution that we believe will better match the expectations of the Web community with the interests of NPR. We will post revisions soon at www.npr.org.

    Linking to or framing of any material on this site without the prior written consent of NPR is prohibited. If you would like to link to NPR from your Web site, please fill out the link permission request form.

    Unpacking that:
    • The policy was originally intended to maintain NPR's commitment to independent, noncommercial journalism.

      This policy does not serve this commitment. The end-product of independent, noncommercial journalism is public discourse, which on the Web takes the form of links. If you're committed to journalism, you must endorse linking.

    • We have encountered instances where companies and individuals constructed entire commercial Web "radio" sites based on links to NPR and similar audio.

      Was this infringement? If so, why didn't you seek redress in the courts? It's my opinion that someone who constructs a directory -- commerical or non-commercial -- of references to locations on the web no more infringes than someone who produces a tourist map to a city that marks the location of major attractions.

    • We have also encountered Web sites of issue advocacy groups that have positioned the audio link to an NPR story such that one cannot tell that NPR is not supporting their cause.

      You are lying. There is no way that one could link to a stream of a fair and impartial newscast (links to streams must be to the whole stream, from beginning to end, remember) such that it can't be distinguished from advocacy or opinion. If there were NPR stories that were indistinguishable from advocacy, this indicates that the NPR stories were not impartial to begin with.

    • This is not acceptable to NPR as an organization dedicated to the highest journalistic ethics, both in fact and appearance.

      No other journalistic organization of note has a parallel policy (NPR's ombudsman's defamatory fabrications about CBC and BBC notwithstanding). The idea that linking must not be permitted because it would compromise the appearance or fact of ethics is a fantasy concocted by NPR's representatives.

    • NPR also recognizes that the majority of the linking on the Web is not infringement.

      How grand of you. All linking on the web is not infringement. The recititation of public facts -- this document exists at this location -- is never an infringment. Promulgating this myth is purely wrong, especially from a journalistic organization that prides itself on its ability to seek out and deliver the truth.

    • Linking to or framing of any material on this site without the prior written consent of NPR is prohibited.

      In the words of Patrick Nielsen Hayden, "Of course, it isn't 'prohibited.' Or rather, it's 'prohibited' with exactly the same legal force as I have when I say 'False legal claims designed to intimidate the public are hereby prohibited. Signed, Me.' This is the web. If you put a public document onto it, it's linkable. If you don't want to be linked to, use some other means of putting your information online."

    1. Re:This is far from a win by larry+bagina · · Score: 4, Insightful
      If there were NPR stories that were indistinguishable from advocacy, this indicates that the NPR stories were not impartial to begin with.

      I guess you've never listed to any "news" on NPR.

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  4. They still don't get it by fahrvergnugen · · Score: 5, Insightful
    'NPR also recognizes that the majority of the linking on the Web is not infringement."

    Wrong. A link is NEVER infringement, it's simply a pointer to a piece of information already publicly available. If they don't want their information referenced, don't put it online, it's just that simple.

    I'm glad they're re-considering the policy, but until they do away with it altogether, and realize that the only viable linking policy is to have no linking policy, we shouldn't let up the pressure.

    --
    Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
  5. Translation by paule9984673 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Translation:

    We clicked on the links you provided and were exposed to a horrible gaping anus.

  6. "What also floats in water?" by Ellen+Ripley · · Score: 4, Funny

    Okay, so we don't link to the NPR page, we just *type* the link. Then our new keeping-up-with-the-fascists browsers automagically 'linkify' it for us. (Opera has no trouble heating up URIs sent to me by email, for instance.)

    NPR is showing an "if she weighs the same as a duck, she's made of wood and therefore a witch" degree of technical qualifications on this issue. (They must have hired Dvorak.) To prevent linking, they would have to prevent us from even *mentioning* the URI. Maybe we should make sure no one mentions any URIs at all, anywhere, ever.

    Hmmm, maybe it's not a mistake. NPR is Democratic/liberal, right? As opposed to Republican/conservative? I know one group wants my money and one wants to tell me what I can say, but I can never remember which is which.

    Ellen

    --
    mods metamodded as "Unfair"