palewire

Evidence is mounting that my blog is considered too hot for a variety of Web filter programs. Another screenshot — this time submitted by a friend at an anonymous American newspaper — is displayed below.

As it turns out, I am not too hot for the Los Angeles Times (see previous post). Or at least not anymore. The following company wide email from Sam Zell, our new owner, arrived this morning.

Everyone, 

I learned on the first leg of our tour of Tribune’s business units that some of them were filtering Internet content. I do not see how a member of the Fourth Estate, dedicated to protecting the First Amendment, can censor what its own employees and partners can see.

I have instructed that all content filters be removed. You are now exposed to the dangers of You Tube and Facebook.Please use your best judgment.

Let’s focus on what is important, and go for greatness.

Sam 

What follows is a screenshot from the Web site of the Las Vegas Sun. It was snapped from the comment rolls at the bottom of editor and president Brian Greenspun’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

Now that’s what I’d call divine intervention.

Here’s what happens if you try to access palewire.com using the Los Angeles Times internal web connection.

I have no idea what the filter is up to, but a search for the offending term yields only a reference to a certain punk rock band and a brief whine about becoming a professional geek, neither of which seem all that sexy.