Book Burning Revisited

By Mary Anne Donovan

A journalist's sources are sacred, right?

Wrong.

We have enough trouble with that issue here in the United states, but here's a real sticky wicket for you: recently, in China, journalist Shi Tao was imprisoned by the Chinese authorities for "revealing state secrets" because of an article published on the Internet. And guess who turned him in? American-based company Yahoo.

Wow! I see this issue through the two hats I wear – first is that of writer and the now terrifying issue of what happens to any work I publish on the Internet if it is deemed objectionable by some country? Will Yahoo turn me in too? Only to be jailed in some dark, dank, smelly prison in the middle of a jungle somewhere? This leads to the question of wherein lies the leadership for work published on the Internet to levy such censorship and punishment? Are we on the brink of losing what we found so precious about the Internet: a leveling of the playing field and a true mechanism for democratic free expression?

On the digital side, of course there is now the issue of web sites revealing sources and giving out author contact information: is this something on the horizon that portends of the ultimate, worldwide censorship? Are we about to embark upon a digital Fahrenheit 451? And what about the linking sites to a site that publishes work found to be on some country's witch- hunt. Do they too become liable or seen as conspirators in their apparent support of the site in question?

Okay, enough of my ranting and raving. Of course, you can check out my continued rant if you want to pursue this digital publishing issue even more.