Wired News Public Protests NPR Link Policy

"When huge, nameless, faceless corporations try to impose "linking policies" upon webmasters who want to point to the company's site, people usually react in a predictable way. They get mad, they spitefully put up dozens of policy-violating links, and they bemoan, once more, the fact that some folks still don't understand that if you don't want to be linked you shouldn't be on the Web.

The reaction was much the same on Wednesday, when webloggers discovered that yet another huge organization is trying to lay down rigid linking guidelines -- only this time the huge organization is National Public Radio, the ad-free, member-supported radio network that often paints itself as the antithesis of all things big and corporate."

Ernie the Attorney Giga law Reports on NPR Linking Controversy

"I wonder if NPR has picked up a disturbance in the force yet? I am losing respect for that organization by the hour. Now is the time for them to respond to the criticism, and like I said earlier, it would be nice if they could track down and interview Tim Berners-Lee. He could draw them a picture. See, this here is the web. And this here (pointing to their page describing the linking agreement requirement) is the web, tarnished and defaced by stupid, pointless, mindless corporate rule-making. Any questions?"

Teleread NPR rethinking the deep link rule -- Speak up if need be

"NPR Ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin has just told me that the legal, news and Web sides will reconsider the policy this afternoon--he himself will participate. I'll think good thoughts."

redux [05.01.02]
Wired News Site Barks About Deep Link

"By his own proud admission, Avi Adelman is an irrepressible muckraker."

"Now Adelman is locked in a battle against the Belo media corporation, owner of The Dallas Morning News, which sent him a legalistic letter this week demanding that BarkingDogs.org remove all "deep links" to the DallasNews.com site."

Jim Romenesko's MediaNews Letters Deep-linking benefits

"From BEN SILVERMAN, Editor Dotcom Scoop: I wonder if it occurred to whoever made the decision to punish deep-linkers that websites are actually doing Belo's newspapers a favor by linking to their articles in the first place, thus driving traffic to Belo properties and putting advertising dollars in Belo's pockets. Deep-linking is probably the best thing that could ever happen to newspapers or content sites. It brings readers to a specific piece of content and to a website that they otherwise probably would not have visited. Links on this site (Media News) are a perfect example. I don't know how many times I've clicked on a story link and then decided to prowl around the linked website for awhile longer because I enjoyed the piece or saw links to other interesting stories. When a story of mine is linked on Media News, or in Yahoo's Full Coverage area for example, I notice a sharp increase in overall page views, not just visits to the page that has been linked."

redux [12.14.01]
The New York Times Experts Say Decision Could Undermine Online Journalists
[requires 'free' registration]

"Free speech advocates are worried that a recent federal appeals decision could have a chilling effect on online journalists who use hyperlinks to direct readers to relevant, newsworthy sites that contain illegal material.

Even more troubling, the critics say, may be an emerging double standard in the way courts treat traditional print publishers and their online offshoots, especially when it concerns printing a controversial address in a newspaper vs. linking to it from a Web page."

Wired News Big Stink Over a Simple Link

"KPMG, an international services firm, prides itself on its "e-business" savvy, and it charges companies boatloads to improve their "new economy" businesses.

But this week several website owners were wondering whether KPMG's Internet acumen was really worth anything at all, as it announced a policy that seemed to breach the most basic freedom on the Web -- the freedom to link to any site you want to."

redux [06.16.00]
The New York Times Is Linking Illegal?
[requires 'free' registration]

"A crucial aspect of online journalism is the ability to garnish articles with hyperlinks that instantly refer readers to Web sites related to newsworthy issues."

But suppose one of those sites contains material alleged to be illegal--a pirated copy of an author's book, perhaps, or an unlawful software program. Is the publisher who did the linking in hot water?

The answer, according to legal papers recently filed by eight motion picture studios in a closely-watched federal case in Manhattan, is sometimes yes and sometimes no."