Internet Freedom in Syria

The always-engaging NPR show On the Media recently interviewed Guy Taylor about his piece in the February issue of Reason, "After the Damascus Spring: Syrians search for freedom online."

That story is not yet posted but the On the Media transcript and audio is online here.

A snippet:

BROOKE GLADSTONE: So, to sum up, the Internet is not going to usher in an age of freedom of speech and access to information in Syria.

GUY TAYLOR: At the same time, people are excited about the possibility that there's more information available about what's happening in Syria and the region, and they've also got an online forum through blogs and chat rooms to talk about it publicly without even giving their identity.

I think there's a great deal of hope and optimism involved in bringing this technology to the masses.

Back in November, On the Media interviewed Associate Editor Kerry Howley about the Child Online Protection Act. That's online here.

And in 2005, I appeared on the show and criticized Newsweek's hysterical coverage of the methamphetamine "epidemic," which led to a bit of a row between me and Newsweek's then-editor, Mark Whitaker. Check that out here.