Dan Gillmor's final column in the San Jose Mercury News runs today, marking the end of a ten-year career in reporting on tech journalism — Dan's leaving to start a company that will enable "grassroots journalism," capitalizing on a trend that he's very parrionate about. The final column is a lovely bittersweet end to an amazing run.
And, as always, the people and institutions currently holding the clout don't cede it willingly. Governments are clamping down on us in all kinds of ways. Incumbent business powerhouses are trying to hold back the tide as well, not just to keep their positions but also to thwart new innovation that might threaten them.
These reactionary encroachments and retrenchments are not surprising. They always occur in times of swift change and challenge. In the end, they are almost always unsuccessful, because progress ultimately finds a way around barriers, and because people challenge the reactionaries.
But we need to keep the pressure up, as citizens and people who want the freedom to use these new tools and live in liberty. The stakes are high, and liberty takes work.
