Kiddie porn and mouse traps
p2pnet news | Freedom:- “With the aggressive assault of pornographic advertising on the Internet, along with the sting sites put up by the FBI and other police authorities, it is easy to see how anyone could trip into crime out of curiosity, especially when a simple click of the mouse now defines possession in the brave new world of the Web.”
That’s broadcaster Peter Laufer in the San Francisco Chronicle on how he and, “undoubtedly his devoted listeners at KGO Radio” felt they learned of child pornography charges levelled at his colleague, Bernie Ward.
“More than three years ago, Bernie Ward, a popular San Francisco liberal radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, got on the Internet and downloaded and sent out images of child pornography,” says an earlier Chronicle story, going on:
“He even talked about it in an Internet chat room.
“The 56-year-old local personality – the host of a nightly news talk program on KGO 810 AM as well as “God Talk” on Sundays – says he was doing research.
But, “on Thursday, Ward was indicted by a grand jury on two federal counts of Internet child pornography – allegations that he possessed and distributed images using his computer.”
However, “The government knows that Bernie was doing this for an investigation he was doing for a book,”" the story has his lawyer, Doron Weinberg, saying.
It goes on:
“As part of the research for the book, Ward – a married father of four – downloaded a few images of child pornography, Weinberg acknowledged.
“In a brief interview, Ward said he ‘thought it was time to expose the dirty secret of the Internet in a book’.”
Ward’s is the second such indictment, “brought against a media figure who then claimed he had the porn merely to do research and reporting.,” says Debbie Nathan in CounterPunch, which continues:
“Meanwhile, a third journalist, a former New York Times reporter who engaged in similar behavior, has not been indicted.
The inconsistency suggests that the government chooses whom to go after and whom to leave alone. And it makes clear that the media needs a First Amendment exemption or license allowing reporters to examine child pornography legally.”
“Indictment papers released on Friday support Ward’s claim that the government was involved in the case as early as 2004 but waited years to indict,” says the story.”
In his San Francisco Chronicle OpEd, “Station management took him off the air until further notice once the charges against him were made public with the tepid announcement, ‘We were just recently made aware of these serious charges and are surprised and concerned by their nature’,” says Laufer, adding:
“But more important than Bernie’s personal crisis, it is critical that we Americans come to terms with our post-9/11 paranoia. We must join with fellow citizens worried about cascading government intrusion into the private lives of American citizens – those concerned citizens can be found on both sides of the political aisle and in law enforcement. We must perpetually defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights – and our promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Interestingly, “Anyone offering open Wi-Fi to the public will be forced by law to report illegal images including ‘obscene’ cartoons and drawings, or face fines of up to $300,000,” p2pnet posted a few days back, going on:
“It’s all down to the Securing Adolescents From Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act, ‘overwhelmingly’ approved by the US House of Representatives yesterday.
“Targeted are coffee shops, libraries, hotels, ‘and even some government agencies that provide Wi-Fi’.”
And ironically, Ward’s book is/was about hypocrisy in America, says Nathan.
[Note: The upper right pic is a clip from bernie ward in SJ.jpg on Flickr.]
Also See:
San Francisco Chronicle – Prosecution vs. persecution, December 10, 2007
Chronicle story – Talk show host Ward charged with Internet kiddie porn, December 10, 2007
CounterPunch – The Perils of Journalism and Child Porn, December 10, 2007
p2pnet – SAFE Act, WiFi and sextoons,, December 7, 2007
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December 10th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
So who do I report to when I see kids looking at hentai on public lobrary cartoons? Do I take a picture as proof?
December 12th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
I’m sick of these dipshit politicians passing these unenforceable laws to get votes. It’s utter bullshit and needs to stop. What is this “SAFE act” all of a sudden? Requires wireless providers to report obscene images? How the hell are they going to ENFORCE that law?!
It’s called “pandering,” I believe.