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Aaronovitch, David
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Lexicon operators react arbitrarily
By closing down its English version Wikipedia has acted arbitrarily and done a disservice to millions of users, writes the conservative daily The Times: "First, it's self-serving. Wikipedia has not used its capacity to 'raise awareness' on behalf, say, of the protesters of Syria, but in defence of its own interests - even if you accept the broader threat that Mr Wales perceives. Second, it's arbitrary. Millions of people use the site and many thousands, encouraged to contribute to it, add their democratic dime's worth. Yet in furtherance of a pet cause that is close to their hearts, the core Wikipedia folk can decide to switch the whole thing off. And by doing so they don't only affect those American users who might be in a position to affect the decisions of Congress, but God (or a visitometer) knows how many Britons and other Anglophones who can do nothing about it."
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More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » United Kingdom, » North America, » Global
The battleground between 'progressives' and 'reactionaries'
Columnist David Aaronovitch suggests traditional 'left' v. 'right' labels no longer suffice to define politicians. What is important, he claims, is knowing whether they are progressive or reactionary. "All over Europe this redivision is complicated by the fact of an ageing, often comfortable population, which has a vested interest in resisting change and which tends to be neurotic about its own security. It worries excessively about crime, even when crime figures are falling; it doesn't want anyone building new houses right next to Dunroamin; it is suspicious of all these strange accents and odd clothes. It wants higher walls, greener grass and no foreign entanglements. ... Progressives, who exist in most parties, tend to believe that there are no walls that can keep the rest of the world out, and that it is counterproductive — immoral even — to try."
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More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Europe
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