Net Neutrality takes a hit and WikiLeaks may have shot itself in the foot--we need to find a new way to know news.

U.S. Court Curbs F.C.C. Authority on Web Traffic

By EDWARD WYATT
Published: April 6, 2010

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. The decision will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites like YouTube to deliver their content faster to users.

The court decision was a setback to efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to require companies to give Web users equal access to all content, even if some of that content is clogging the network.

via nytimes.com

Slowly the Gatekeepers are creeping back into power, stopping the masses from creating and easily distributing their own content. Imagine what this will do to the just-now-birthing new DIY journalism movement Wikileaks.org is now leading. Like Glenn Greenwald said, the WikiLeaks "Collateral Murder" video got over 4 million views on YouTube--likely more than it would get if it were only on NYTimes.com. This makes it a serious opponent to traditional media. If the gatekeepers (aka big corporate media) can get back in control via anti-net-neutral policies, they can, once again, control what we all learn about the world.

What's worse is that WikiLeaks.org co-founder Julian Assange reportedly admitted to the NYTimes that if forced to choose, he'd choose advocacy over journalism--thus making WikiLeaks less an unbiased filter and more an easy target for proponents of the "liberal media conspiracy" theory. This, in turn, harms the reputation of WikiLeaks as a reliable source of un-spun news.

It was all just starting to look interesting, too...

Posted via web from thepete's posterous