You Are Not News

To the Editor:

In today’s society the citizen is always optimally informed. We are in a mass media society where news is always available. In the latest years the well informed citizens have been replaced by citizens, who create their own news in their own picture of the world, and this development jeopardizes the role of the news.

We see a new form of news where people are blogging and publishing information about themselves. There seems to be an extreme focus on the individual. People are more interested in what is going on in their own life and with the people around them, than what is happening around the globe. Time Magazine even announced the Person of the Year in 2006 as “You”. This announcement indicates the increasing focus on the individual and this development can danger the concept of news. When people are broadcasting their lives online, we start to consider them as news which raises some issues. The mass production of personal news does not respect either copyright laws or privacy of the individual. This danger has led to a proposal from the German Government to create a new kind of copyright to protect online journalism which was announced in The New York Times on October 28, 2009. “The Internet cannot be a copyright-free zone”, the coalition says in a document setting out its policies. Together with the disrespect of copyright goes the significant threat to privacy. Kevin Bankston, staff attorney from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, discusses the privacy issues in an article for the CNET News on July 14, 2005. “It is an unprecedented amount of personal information, and these third parties (such as Google) have carte blanche control over that information.” People broadcast their stories as they are writing a diary. They also upload information about themselves on personal networks such as Facebook. With this development there is no protection of the individual’s privacy. The broadcasting of “diary stories”, especially by bloggers, also raises some important issues about truth and sources. Bloggers cannot be considered as journalists. They in many cases have never had any training, therefore, we cannot consider their stories as news. In most cases their blog posts are really misinformation. In contrast to an original article their posts have not went through a journalist process, where the documentation and sources are checked and re-checked. We cannot consider their blogs to be news since they blog about topics that defiantly are not newsworthy.

We have to question the role of the news and the newspaper. We cannot accept this development where the individual intrude the journalist’s areas. We have to demand high standards for the news media, and not accept news that has a lack of truth, sources, and no respect of copyright and privacy.

Maria Toft

Thanks For Support

To the Editor:

I would like to thank the wonderful residents of Nassau County for their support on Election Day. I am honored and privileged to have been re-elected to serve as your Nassau County Clerk.

I would also like to thank the many volunteers, colleagues, neighbors and friends who gave so much of their time and efforts in support of my re-election.

In my years as a public servant, I have advocated for government that is accountable and accessible. Since taking office as County Clerk, I have sought to both modernize and personalize the services provided to the thousands of residents who interact with my office. Your support has enabled me to continue my work to provide sound government service on your behalf, for which I am truly grateful.

Again, my heartfelt thanks for your continued support.

Maureen O’Connell

Nassau County Clerk

Shop Locally

To The Editor:

It is not a secret that the state of the national, state and local economy is not very pretty right now. While we have complete confidence that we will survive this pothole, we also know it isn’t going to be easy.

During these difficult times we need to come together... shop together... and work together to insure that our Village remains the best location on Long Island in which to live, work and shop.

You can assist with this effort by spending your grocery, clothing, dining and services dollars right here in our Village. When you shop and dine here, you directly contribute to the Village’s continued success.

Garden City is blessed with a terrific assortment of retailers and retail services - and most are locally owned and/or managed. These are the merchants that contribute to our scouts, sports leagues, civic organizations, charitable firms, religious groups and other worthy associations all year around.

A recent poll of local merchants revealed that they individually contribute more than $5000 per year to local events and organizations.

Garden City merchants have come together and invested in a strong promotional program and advertising campaign to encourage Village residents and those in neighboring areas to shop and dine in our Village. These ads have appeared in Newsday, Garden City News, Garden City Life, and all of the other Anton and Litmor publications in Nassau County. We hope you will agree that they reflect our Garden City Style... where we take hospitality seriously.

During the coming year, we plan a variety of promotional efforts, including special values, coupons and events to encourage shopping right here in our Village.

Currently, your local merchants are sponsoring a holiday drawing with a variety of great prizes for Garden City shoppers who take a minute to fill out an entry blank at participating stores. You will see the bright entry form boxes throughout the village, or you can access an entry form at www.GardenCityShopping.com

Let’s all do our part to keep Garden City a great place to live, work... and shop.

Roger Eltringham, President,

Garden City Chamber

of Commerce

John Wilton, Chairman,

Garden City Merchants Group Committee