A while back I wrote a blog on WikiLeaks talking about the changing media landscape and the implication of information activism. A lot has happened since then with the release of the cables and the arrest of Julian Assange.

It seems to me that governments around the world have not woken up to the fact that media landscape has changed. WikiLeaks is an example of this shifting landscape.

It is seems the powers that be have done everything they could to prevent these stories coming out but to no avail. As predicted the charges against Julian Assange have been resurrected and he has now been arrested in London.

All the authorities have succeeded in doing is fanning the fire and most probably make things worse for themselves. With Julian Assange arrested there is now a real cause to fight for and a symbol of the oppression of free speech. The reality is that whatever they may do they cannot stop evolution and people's growing curiosity about these affairs.

The nature of the internet and Social Media means that information can find its way into the public domain very quickly. This is not something that is likely to change whatever happens to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. The only option is that governments get used to the new world where more people have a voice and better still embrace it.

So it is official..... Four guys from Sweden are being jailed for a year along with having to pay damages of $4.5. All of this is for creating a website that indexes links to copyrighted material through Bit Torrent.

The official verdict was that they were found guilty of ‘working as a team to make copyrighted content available’.

Hang on moment! Google are a team too (a large one at that). The Google search is the top search engine in the world and it indexes Torrent sites. Could it not be argued that Google too are facilitating the availability of copyrighted content? While some have mentioned that Google does not run a public torrent tracker it links to hundreds of sites that do run them. Maybe Google should be the next one in the dock for Movie and Record Companies on their witch-hunt.

I find this unbelievable that even as we are entering into digital / online age companies like Warner Bros, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and Columbia Pictures still do not seem to get it. They seem intent on staying attached to out-dated business paradigms and models. They should be thinking of ways to move with the internet evolution instead of trying to hold it back. Bit Torrent is a way that many around the world chose to enjoy different sorts of media and the guilty verdict of the PirateBay guys will not change this. They will pursue other options if one is closed to them.

The evolution is already happening and the large corporations either embrace it or see a bigger loss in profits than they claim to be already seeing. ITunes looks to be a success so it proves that it is possible to create a business model that works.

I feel the story is far from over as the PirateBay guys will appeal the verdict. In the long run I do not think it is going to look good for these large corporations whatever happens.

With the rise of new social media channels and other online tools many people have been talking about the decline or even death of the conventional media. This could be one explanation though I feel it could be seen more as an evolution of media.

Unfortunately this evolution is happening very fast and leaving some people in its wake. As Matthew quite rightly put in his comment on my previous post this process is also being quickened by the recession. For instance in Bristol, regional newspapers such as the Western Daily Press, have made large redundancies to their staff. Bristol’s radio scene seems to have shrunk as well with the relocation and redundancies. I think there must be similar trends throughout the UK.

Across the pond in States papers like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (one of the oldest in Seattle) rolls out its last newspaper today and becomes a totally online entity. They follow in the footsteps of many other US publications to the online realm. Around the world people are utilising media in new ways.

However, I am not sure that journalists and conventional PR people should get too fearful of the new online world. What is needed is an understanding of how their skills could be best used within the online realm. Social media allows obtaining feedback and interaction with an audience which simply was not possible in previous media channels. While this may involve learning a totally new IT skill-set it is preferable than being left on the sidelines as more social media tools appear.

That being said, the instincts for clear communications and stories that conventional PR, Journalists and other people in the media have developed over years of experience are still greatly needed especially in a confusing online world. While web wizardry and social media can dress things up very nice you always need something with substance to begin with.

I have been watching the US Presidential Race between Barack Obama and John McCain with much interest. To be honest I have a lot of disagreements with the way the USA generally handle themselves especially with their foreign policy. They don't do themselves any favours and whoever gets in will have a difficult road ahead especially with financial situation at the moment. Having said that it will be good to see Obama in though as he seems to have a plan and is certainly inspiring young american voters.

The final presidential debate yesterday made for some interesting viewing especially when they kept talking about Joe the Plumber! I initially thought like many people, 'who the hell is Joe the Plumber?'

Apparently Joe the Plumber is a small business owner who challenged Obama over his economic policy when he was campaigning in Ohio at the beginning of the week. His name has now become famous as unwitting symbol of the econonic situation in the US because of being mentioned so many times in the final presidential debate.

Barack and John went on to discuss the issue of negative advertising in both of their campaigns. Both of these guy have been have mudslinging at each other the last few months. I think it doesn't send out the right message generally to focus on the negative. The Americans need positive solutions from their presidential candidates not personal attacks on each other.

McCain choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate has also been the source of much debate. In my opinion I am pretty shocked that someone like her could rise to such a position of influence. She comes from Alaska and is known for her radical creationist views. I find it hard to take her seriously. Go American Soccer Mums! Yeah whatever...

One thing I will say about both Obama and McCain's campaign is their impressive use of new media and the internet to propel their campaigns. Both have used Facebook, YouTube and Blogs to very good effect to engage with especially younger voters. Our very own UK policians could learn a lot from this as they seem to be very slow in the uptake of new media. Number 10's YouTube channel is a start but doesn't seem to be getting many hits. It's a shame but I don't think British Politicians have the media savvy or 'Pzazz' of their American Counterparts.

Barack Obama is one of the most charismatic speakers I have ever seen. He seems to really engage his audience in their own language. If he got in it would of course be historic as he would be the first American president of African descent. He is even inspiring kids from the ghetto areas of the US which is amazing feat. Symbolically in the US and across the world (even here in the UK) his appointment would have massive affect and would mean a radical shift in thinking.

Also I know this may sound ageist but I would imagine the American presidential role to be very demanding if not one of the most demanding roles there is. It would probably be more suitable for someone in his forties.

Fingers crossed Obama gets in as we don't want another four years of a Bush-style Government throwing its weight around. A change we can believe in? We hope....as I'm sure Joe the Plumber will.