Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

quote of the day: public interest

"I am here to uphold and protect the public interest. Some say the public interest is merely what interests the public. I disagree."

- Former FCC chairman Newton Minow, to the National Association of Broadcasters in 1961 (as quoted in the Atlantic Monthly article "The Age of Murdoch" by James Fallows)

Fallows' follow-up comment on Minow's statement:

None of these rules, as rules, applied to the nonbroadcast press. But at the time of Minow's speech the idea behind them did: that the press enjoyed unusual privileges and therefore had unusual responsibilities.