16 Mar 11 | Index Index, minipost
A Minnesota county court has found that a post written on the “Adventures of Johnny Northside” blog led to community official Jerry Moore being fired from the University of Minnesota. Blogger John Hoff must pay Moore $60,000 in damages, which comprises $35,000 for loss of wages and $25,000 for emotional distress. The blog post, which Moore said was untrue, linked him to a high-profile mortgage fraud. Hoff maintains the truth of his allegations.
14 Mar 11 | Index Index, minipost
P J Crowley has stepped down from his position as chief spokesman of the US State Department after condemning the Pentagon’s treatment of Private Bradley Manning. The US soldier is accused of providing documents to Wikileaks.
He is currently detained in solitary confinement in a maximum security US military prison. Crowley described the Pentagon’s handling of Manning as “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid”.
01 Mar 11 | Index Index, minipost
A billboard proclaiming a pro-life message has been taken down following complaints. The advertisement was displayed in SoHo on behalf of the Life Always organisation. It showed an African American child accompanied by the message: “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb”. This was apparently based on statistics released by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, showing that there was a higher incidence of abortion amongst this racial group. The billboard was removed after people complained that it was provocative.
28 Feb 11 | Index Index, minipost
Film blogger Michael Fleming was prevented from attending Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony. Fleming is the correspondent for entertainment news blog Deadline.com, which had published leaked details about the Awards. In response to these comments, the Motion Picture Academy officially revoked Fleming’s press pass. The Hollywood Reporter’s sources have confirmed that this ban was “punishment for the breaches of secrecy surrounding the show”. The blog’s editor, Nikki Finke, has made a formal complaint to Academy spokesperson Leslie Unger.
