Editors group opposes federal bill to commit schools, libraries to Internet filters (Feb. 9, 1997)
Published: February 09, 1997
Last Updated: February 10, 1997
Printer-friendly version
RESTON, Va. — The president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors
has expressed the ASNE’s opposition to a bill before the U.S. Senate Commerce
Committee that would tie federal education funds to pledges by schools
and libraries to install filtering software.
In a letter addressed to the committee, ASNE president Sandra Mims Rowe
wrote:
"As president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, I write
to express our concerns regarding proposed legislation that connects federal
subsidies providing Internet access to public schools and libraries with
an agreement on the part of the participating organization to install filtering
software. Such a condition restricts a major use of the Internet by students
and library users and defeats the purpose of newspapers publishing their
news on the Web.
"The nation’s newspaper editors support the idea that public schools
and libraries should have Internet access as soon as possible. No longer
will a student doing a report on current events need to rely on encyclopedias,
periodical indices, and a limited supply of newspaper archives. Virtually
unlimited information is available to the student in a medium with which
today’s young people are very comfortable — the computer.
"Newspapers are contributing vast stores of information for public use
through their online units, a great resource for learning, both for schools
and library users as well. A transplanted resident of Anchorage, Alaska,
living in Washington, D.C., can get instant news from his hometown by accessing
the Web page of the Anchorage Daily News. A parent concerned with how local
communities across the nation view this very issue of Internet filtering
can search for newspaper articles and editorials to compare views and solutions
from around the nation.
"Federal subsidies can give students access to topics in seconds that
formerly required hours or days of work. More and more of today’s students
will need these search skills in the jobs they take upon graduation. The
Internet has the potential to enable libraries to return to their roots
as the center of town culture, a meeting place where citizens can obtain
and exchange the news of the day.
"Current filtering software does not have the ability to discern between
words within context. Articles on subjects such as breast cancer, AIDS,
and human rights likely will be blocked because of language in those articles.
Some filtering software would even block this letter based on the inclusion
of the word "breast." This is unacceptable to anybody interested in the
free flow of information and beneficial use of the Internet.
"Technology is improving on a daily basis. Perhaps five years from now
filtering software will be capable of blocking indecent material while
allowing full access to research tools such as online news services. The
current legislation, while well-intentioned, harms the ability of citizens,
young and old, to fully benefit from Internet access. The promise of the
Internet is too great to be hamstrung by legislation that is best left
for another day."
Rowe is editor of The Oregonian, Portland. Founded in 1922, ASNE is an
organization of the main editors of daily newspapers in the United States
and Canada. There are currently 850 members.
|