Rehearsal for Media Regulation: Congress Versus the Telegraph-News Monopoly, 1866-1900

In this Article, Menahem Blondheim presents a critical historical analysis of the dawn of communications regulation as it began with the evolution of domestic telegraphy and developed into a coherent link between 19th century technological, business, and social developments and twentieth century First Amendment thought. First, the Article examines the political and economic environment which led to the development of national telegraph and news networks, like Western Union and the Associated Press. The Author then proceeds to assess the role of the mid-to-late nineteenth century American legislature, and how the debate over telegraph and wire service regulation realigned the powers of government, judiciary, and corporate America. Next, the Article explores the tensions that developed with respect to the Associated Press and Western Union monopolies, and how the judiciary entered the scene of communications regulation at this critical juncture. Finally, the Author suggests that the history of the development of this early communications network frames current legal debates over the proper roles of government and private industry in the communications regulatory environment

Rehearsal for Media Regulation: Congress Versus the Telegraph-News Monopoly, 1866-1900

In this Article, Menahem Blondheim presents a critical historical analysis of the dawn of communications regulation as it began with the evolution of domestic telegraphy and developed into a coherent link between 19th century technological, business, and social developments and twentieth century First Amendment thought. First, the Article examines the political and economic environment which led to the development of national telegraph and news networks, like Western Union and the Associated Press. The Author then proceeds to assess the role of the mid-to-late nineteenth century American legislature, and how the debate over telegraph and wire service regulation realigned the powers of government, judiciary, and corporate America. Next, the Article explores the tensions that developed with respect to the Associated Press and Western Union monopolies, and how the judiciary entered the scene of communications regulation at this critical juncture. Finally, the Author suggests that the history of the development of this early communications network frames current legal debates over the proper roles of government and private industry in the communications regulatory environment

"La signification de la communication", des Pyramides aux Twin Towers : Un nouveau regard sur Harold Innis

Blondheim Menahem. "La signification de la communication", des Pyramides aux Twin Towers : Un nouveau regard sur Harold Innis. In: Quaderni, n°50-51, Printemps 2003. Images de l'Amérique du Nord vues par elle-même ou vues par les autres pp. 73-87

Live Television's Disaster Marathon of September 11 and its Subversive Potential

Television's coverage of the tragic events of September 11 can be viewed and understood as a paradigmatic disaster marathon. The salience of the attack's visual images, their exclusivity on the screen for a protracted period, and the invisibility of their perpetrators enhanced the attack's effectiveness. The paper highlights a number of problems that the September 11 disaster marathon poses to the profession of journalism and to society, and points out possible remedies for the future. It ends with a short discussion of the ways in which television's coverage of the event both resembled and differed from the media-event model, and of theoretical aspects of its unique dimensions as a disaster marathon.Television, Media Events, Disasters, Disaster Marathon, Terrorism, September 11,