CNN to Release Debates with Creative Commons License
Following recent calls for access to Presidential Debates broadcast on national television, CNN has just announced that they will license their next debate with a Creative Commons license, opening it up to the public domain. Noting that, it "is good for both the country and good for the electoral process," CNN says that it plans to apply this rule to all debates, beginning in June.
What started as letters - signed by a long list academic, media, political, and Internet personalities - addressed to the Republican and Democratic National Committees on April 25th, soon encouraged endorsements from three Presidential candidates. The public discussion of the issue over whether the "political speech" of public officials could be copyrighted by any one broadcasting organization brought some quick and positive results.
Thanks to the efforts of many interested parties, spearheaded by Lawrence Lessig, CNN's Presidential Debates, both Republican and Democratic, will be available for public consumption. We will have to wait and see which, if any, additional media outlets follow suit.
What started as letters - signed by a long list academic, media, political, and Internet personalities - addressed to the Republican and Democratic National Committees on April 25th, soon encouraged endorsements from three Presidential candidates. The public discussion of the issue over whether the "political speech" of public officials could be copyrighted by any one broadcasting organization brought some quick and positive results.
Thanks to the efforts of many interested parties, spearheaded by Lawrence Lessig, CNN's Presidential Debates, both Republican and Democratic, will be available for public consumption. We will have to wait and see which, if any, additional media outlets follow suit.