Phil Baty wrote
> 1) It has always seemed perfectly clear to me that all
> postings were entirely in the public domain, given that
> membership of the list is open and all archives are freely
> available on-line. Perhaps some users should take more time
> and care to understand the terms under which they are posting.
>
I totally agree that this is the current situation and that list members
should bear this in mind. However, if people only monitor/contribute to
a list occasionally, they may not be aware that the list has members
from outside HE - in point of fact for most JISCMail lists it is not
normally possible, I think, for ordinary memberst to obtain a list of
who else is on the list.
> 2) I have myself posted on this list asking for contributions
> to articles, so regular users would be completely aware of my
> presence.
> This has helped the newspaper to produce better informed
> articles, reflecting current thinking and current issues.
>
> 3) I have for some time now contacting posters individually
> if I intend to quote them in any article, as a courtesy, and
> to discuss the context and any concerns they have about being
> identified in a newspaper article.
>
I think that's fine and appears totally upfront. I can only say I have
had a different experience with other journalists on another list - not
all journalists are as scrupulous as you, or indeed always identify
themselves as journalists. As the list is currently configured it would
be perfectly possible for someone to join, read but not contribute, and
lift useful quotes for their publication as and when they wanted.
> 4) As many users are professionals in publicly-funded higher
> education institutions, I'm amazed at the concerns raised
> about the public discussion/debate over issues of crucial
> public importance -- how academic standards are maintained
> and monitored in institutions. What became of academic
> freedom and free speech?
>
Slight red herring surely. There are lots of closed lists on JISCMail,
and there are a lot of member-only discussion boards in academia. Are
you saying professionals can't have a private discussion using
electronic communication if that's what they *choose* to do?
It boils down to what the list membership wants. If they value the input
of media professionals, that's fine. If they prefer to have private
discussions as a group, that's fine. Interestingly shortly after I set
up the HEERA list what is now Universities UK set up their own Mailbase
lists - all closed. In the end the HEERA list went closed because the
members were increasingly reluctant to use it otherwise. It wasn't my
decision BTW - I was just the techie for them.
Nigel
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