Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Winds of War Are Blowing Across Internet
Aired February 01, 2003 - 08:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Web surfers, want to know what's making headlines on the Web? Here's our segment we call Buzz Line. And, no, that has nothing to do with illicit drug activity.
Regina Lewis, AOL's online adviser, joins us from Washington this week to tell us what's going on on the Internet.
The winds of war are blowing across the Internet, aren't they, Regina?
REGINA LEWIS, AOL'S ONLINE ADVISER: They sure are. There's a lot of talk. And, in fact, it's interesting that this is the first time that the Internet has really been mainstream in this country in a potential war time situation. You're seeing a lot of protests being planned online and virtual protests waged online.
Ben Cohen, the liberal activist, Ben & Jerry's founder, who's the guy behind those controversial Susan Sarandon anti-war ads, also has a site called truemajority.com. And there, for example, they have a form letter where you can actually protest the war. You fill out some basic facts and they'll send it off to your congressman and to the president's office.
We've got an excerpt from the letter. It reads like this, "I'm a concerned constituent of yours, that the administration has done little or nothing to support the inspections and continues on a path towards war."
So it'll be very interesting to see, as things heat up, the role the Internet is going to have.
O'BRIEN: All right, that is definitely something to watch, because it does give people an unusual way of voicing their opinions, as you say, heretofore unprecedented. Now, let's talk about reality television, which is the other thing that people are preoccupied with now. Talk about going from the serious to the absolutely ridiculous, but tell us what's going on in the reality TV world online.
LEWIS: I know this kills you, but it is extremely popular and the sites are really part of an entertainment convergence media strategy. So as you get hooked on these shows -- and we know a good chunk of America is -- you can find more out about the contestants. In some cases, you can vote, like CBS's "Star Search." You can apply, like Fox's "American Idol." And those are the kinds of things that people are doing online so that the whole experience adds up.
O'BRIEN: Has anybody opened up a bail fund Web site for that "Bachelorette" reject who got arrested? Has that...
LEWIS: Probably.
O'BRIEN: That's come up.
LEWIS: I'll check.
O'BRIEN: All right, how is George W. Bush faring on the Web right now?
LEWIS: Well, it's interesting, coming out of the speech, a lot of people said, 55 percent said they thought it was convincing. Twenty-four percent said it was dramatic but not persuasive. And overall the numbers online also indicate people would really like to see him focused on the economy, to the tune of 52 percent of people saying that should be his priority.
Now, it's unclear if it's because everyone is saying look, we know you're focused on the war, but I'm just trying to pay my bills here. So they're trying to get his attention to focus on the economy. But the numbers were really, I'd say he got a double at best with the online crowd.
O'BRIEN: All right, so from war to "The Bachelorette," I guess we've got it covered. That just shows you that the Web, if nothing else, is a reflection of our society, isn't it, Regina?
LEWIS: I think so. Fair to say.
O'BRIEN: Always a pleasure to see you. Thanks for dropping by.
LEWIS: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 1, 2003 - 08:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Web surfers, want to know what's making headlines on the Web? Here's our segment we call Buzz Line. And, no, that has nothing to do with illicit drug activity.
Regina Lewis, AOL's online adviser, joins us from Washington this week to tell us what's going on on the Internet.
The winds of war are blowing across the Internet, aren't they, Regina?
REGINA LEWIS, AOL'S ONLINE ADVISER: They sure are. There's a lot of talk. And, in fact, it's interesting that this is the first time that the Internet has really been mainstream in this country in a potential war time situation. You're seeing a lot of protests being planned online and virtual protests waged online.
Ben Cohen, the liberal activist, Ben & Jerry's founder, who's the guy behind those controversial Susan Sarandon anti-war ads, also has a site called truemajority.com. And there, for example, they have a form letter where you can actually protest the war. You fill out some basic facts and they'll send it off to your congressman and to the president's office.
We've got an excerpt from the letter. It reads like this, "I'm a concerned constituent of yours, that the administration has done little or nothing to support the inspections and continues on a path towards war."
So it'll be very interesting to see, as things heat up, the role the Internet is going to have.
O'BRIEN: All right, that is definitely something to watch, because it does give people an unusual way of voicing their opinions, as you say, heretofore unprecedented. Now, let's talk about reality television, which is the other thing that people are preoccupied with now. Talk about going from the serious to the absolutely ridiculous, but tell us what's going on in the reality TV world online.
LEWIS: I know this kills you, but it is extremely popular and the sites are really part of an entertainment convergence media strategy. So as you get hooked on these shows -- and we know a good chunk of America is -- you can find more out about the contestants. In some cases, you can vote, like CBS's "Star Search." You can apply, like Fox's "American Idol." And those are the kinds of things that people are doing online so that the whole experience adds up.
O'BRIEN: Has anybody opened up a bail fund Web site for that "Bachelorette" reject who got arrested? Has that...
LEWIS: Probably.
O'BRIEN: That's come up.
LEWIS: I'll check.
O'BRIEN: All right, how is George W. Bush faring on the Web right now?
LEWIS: Well, it's interesting, coming out of the speech, a lot of people said, 55 percent said they thought it was convincing. Twenty-four percent said it was dramatic but not persuasive. And overall the numbers online also indicate people would really like to see him focused on the economy, to the tune of 52 percent of people saying that should be his priority.
Now, it's unclear if it's because everyone is saying look, we know you're focused on the war, but I'm just trying to pay my bills here. So they're trying to get his attention to focus on the economy. But the numbers were really, I'd say he got a double at best with the online crowd.
O'BRIEN: All right, so from war to "The Bachelorette," I guess we've got it covered. That just shows you that the Web, if nothing else, is a reflection of our society, isn't it, Regina?
LEWIS: I think so. Fair to say.
O'BRIEN: Always a pleasure to see you. Thanks for dropping by.
LEWIS: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
