Australian Radio Program On 'Piracy' What 60 Minutes Should Have Done
from the you-mean-actually-have-facts? dept
On Monday, we wrote about that that ridiculous attempt by 60 Minutes to do a story about movie piracy that was basically one long press release for the MPAA's position. Facts weren't checked, and the reporter, Leslie Stahl, didn't bother to push back on a single claim made by any of the (all industry insider) guests. However, Boing Boing points us to a "radio documentary" on piracy that was done on Australian radio the very same day as the 60 Minutes episode aired. You may notice a major difference in that the Australian radio folks actually looked at the facts, invited on people who could refute industry claims, and actually pushed back on claims by the industry:Adrianne Pecotic (from anti-piracy group AFACT): The fact that there is a level of illegitimate consumption of film and television is something that detracts from the revenue that could go back into the industry and could go back into supporting local video stores, local cinemas and online distribution. Theft is not justified because someone is being successful, and that's a really important point in this debate.The program also pushed back against the repeated claim that a download is no different than shoplifting:
Oscar McLaren (radio host): But it does seem strange that I mean, we're told in quite apocalyptic terms often that the video industry and the film industry is really starting to hurt. I don't imagine many people would actually be aware that the revenues are in fact going up quite steadily and have been for the past decade or so.
Adrianne Pecotic: I think the important thing about the losses that are being suffered by the film industry through piracy, is that individual investors in individual films rely on that investment in that particular film, for that film maker, or that investor as their entire revenue. If you're looking at the analysis across the board of the whole industry and whether it is going up or whether more people are consuming films or less people are consuming films, you're not asking the question of whether a particular film has had the opportunity to recoup its proper revenue.
Oscar McLaren: For the record, box office sales were also at all-time high levels last year, reaching nearly $1-billion.
Oscar McLaren: But many lawyers in the debate argue that stealing a physical object is very different to breaching intellectual property laws....The report goes in-depth in other areas as well, including a discussion on fair use/fair dealing, the history of copyright (and how it's often been abused in the name of artists, when it really had nothing to do with them) and the importance of mashup/remix culture. It's the sort of report that a program like 60 Minutes could have -- and should have -- done, but did not. Kudos to ABC radio down in Australia.
Jessica Litman: The difference between a song and a cookie is if I eat a cookie, then you can't have it because I've eaten it, it's gone. But if I listen to a song, you can listen to a song, your friend can listen to a song, anyone can listen to a song, and because intellectual property is capable of being enjoyed by many people at the same time, it's subject to somewhat different rules than cookies. Or houses, or other kinds of property.
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Gotta Say
Even NPR (who is about as much news radio as I ever listen to) sometimes (or is it most of the time?) doesn't ask meaningful questions and push back when being told stuff from an industry whose best interest it is in to lie.
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I like where she decides to discuss a theoretical movie, rather than look at actual numbers. I wish the host had countered by asking for a specific movie that was heavily pirated and not profitable. And then he could have followed by noting that the most profitable movies were the most pirated.
Does anyone have a link to those sort of numbers? Donwloads vs revenue vs profit?
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This is a really good point. If their concern is not really on the industry as a whole, but on particular movies that are impacted by piracy, then surely she would have an example or two ready. "Wait, what? You're now saying that it's individual movies that are in trouble, but you can't quote a single example of a movie that has not been profitable because of piracy? Hmmm."
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It's a fantastic mix of greed and ignorance.
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Both sides in the same program is what we should have gotten from 60 minutes.
Next question?
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Both sides in the same program is what we should have gotten from 60 minutes.
Next question?
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ABC is a public broadcaster
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in power using corporate influence through the media, to shape public opinion and culture. I have perfect example from a news show I was watching last night.The channel is RT (Russian Television). They were discussing the Hauge trial of a former figure deeply involved in the Yugoslavia conflict of the 1990s. He is accused of war crimes. Yet the channel choose a very liberal/eastern apologist for comment on the trial. Even though the facts show otherwise, he made it sound like this trial was somehow unfair. The point is, if that was all I had access to as a citizen of Russia, I might believe it. Even that small exposure got me thinking about it. The truth is discovered from different perspectives. It is ufortunate, but the US system of a democratic republic has been deeply compromised by corporate interests.
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That worry seems like one that should have always been present, long before internet "piracy" came about. Investors worrying whether their investments will generate money for them. I don't really see how "piracy" changes this. Also, as stated above, where are these movies that were hurt by "piracy"? I seem to remember that The Dark Knight was the most pirated movie of 2008 and also far and away the most financially successful at the box office.
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Furthermore the baby boomer's the largest segment of the population didn't just stop buying music because they can download it for free. Heck my dad is super proud that he figured out how to send a text message to me last week.
The simple fact is we have way more competition for our entertainment dollar and ways to entertain ourselves. My local newspaper isn't struggling because there are less people or my local dry cleaners decided to do only online advertising. With the Internet, 300 tv channels, 100 satellite radio channels, 600 new movies a year, 200 new video games a year and piles and piles of our favorite dvd's, cd's and video games that we have bought over the years to turn to. Now hundreds of channells and forms of entertainment all exist and compete to make money not the piles of money movie, tv or newspapers got used to when there was less choices but nerveless many more forms of entertainment are availsble all taking a slice out of my entertainment dollar.
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Hopelessly One-Sided
But then, what else do you expect from a liberal propaganda outlet run by a socialist government?
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Re: Hopelessly One-Sided
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In fact, Labour are actually fairly centrist - at the moment, they have slightly more control over their loony left faction than the Opposition have over their hard right faction, and, in Australia, the major party closest to the centre is typically the one that wins elections (because there is a fairly large chunk of the voter base that isn't committed to either party, and compulsory voting means they actually bother to front up on voting day).
The ABC is usually fairly even-handed in its reporting, but it does tend to lean slightly to the left. While this provides a bit of balance relative to the more right-wing mainstream media, it does open them up to ad hominem attacks such as those made by the grandparent poster.
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Media is all right wing
It ain't there why? cause big business went in and bought up all the mom and pop papers and media outlets, there isn't any NON corporate ( right wing ) controlled media PERIOD. I don't bother with it except to pipe off my spills on sanity and truth and enlightenment. TO be enlightened you must have the capacity for compassion and forgiveness for your fellow man, neither which the extreme left or right has.
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there isn't any NON corporate ( right wing ) controlled media PERIOD
So a corporation by defintion can't be liberal? All the liberals are so anti-corporation that they have all quit
their jobs? I have problems with the way the current corporate structure functions in America, but please....LOL
Is that sarcasm or are you just the most ignorant fool on the face of the planet? Your choice....
Oh wait. Better. You troll for a living?
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