- Newsnight
- 5 Jun 07, 04:41 PM
From tonight's presenter,
Robin Hood in Reverse
Vulture funds rob the poor to fatten the rich.
As we revealed on Newsnight earlier this year, they are a crafty mechanism which allows the buying up of the debts of developing countries rather cheaply - and then the new debt owner takes his money back, at a huge profit.
The poor lose. As the G8 leaders assemble tomorrow in Germany, Gordon Brown and President Bush are taking an interest.
I'll be asking the British Government minister responsible whether, realistically, anything can be done to stop the vultures preying on the poor.
The Cameron Clan
The row within the Conservatives over grammar schools rumbles on, with some Conservatives (quietly) suggesting it has undermined David Cameron's authority.
Michael Crick is on the trail - and we hope to hear from both sides.
Web 2.0
The stuff you read on the internet. Do you believe it? Seriously? Why?
We'll be hearing from the author of a new book about why much of what you may be reading has all the editorial authority of graffiti on a lavatory wall, and a Web defender will explain why the democratisation of the web is so important.
You can read extracts from the book, The Cult of the Amateur, and join the debate by clicking here.
Wine
The government wants to clamp down on middle class binge drinking. Our Science Editor Susan Watts will tell you how much wine you can safely drink each day.
- Newsnight
- 5 Jun 07, 02:07 PM
The Cult of the Amateur
How Today鈥檚 Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy
by Andrew Keen
鈥淚f we are all amateurs, there are no experts.鈥
Watch the Newsnight discussion here.
Andrew Keen鈥檚 new book, The Cult of the Amateur is the latest addition to the Newsnight book club. In it, the author expresses his concern for the profligacy of online amateurism, spawned by the digital revolution. This, he feels, has had a destructive impact on our culture, economy and values.
He says, 鈥淸They] can use their networked computers to publish everything from uninformed political commentary, to unseemly home videos, to embarrassingly amateurish music, to unreadable poems, reviews, essays, and novels鈥.
He complains that blogs are 鈥渃ollectively corrupting and confusing popular opinion about everything from politics, to commerce, to arts and culture鈥.
He claims that Wikipedia perpetuates a cycle of misinformation and ignorance, and labels YouTube inane and absurd, 鈥渟howing poor fools dancing, singing, eating, washing, shopping, driving, cleaning, sleeping, or just staring at their computers.鈥
He warns that old media is facing extinction 鈥 鈥渟ay goodbye to experts and cultural gatekeepers 鈥 our reporters, news anchors, editors, music companies, and Hollywood movie studios.鈥
What do you think? We鈥檝e published two extracts from Andrew Keen鈥檚 book below. Have a read and share your thoughts 鈥 is he being alarmist about the effects of the Web 2.0 revolution, or raising genuine concerns? Are we at the mercy of the amateur? Can kids tell the difference between credible news sources and the amateur鈥檚 blog? What, in any case, can be done?
Continue reading "The Cult of the Amateur by Andrew Keen"
