“We clearly have an incentive and long-standing policy to complete this transition and that our oversight role of ICANN should transition away.”

That says: we are going to end our oversight role of ICANN. Until that precise moment, it was uncertain what the US government intended to do.

Feel free to wait until the Department of Commerce puts out an official press release. Or wait for the very day that ICANN oversight is ended. And then, when that happens, refer to the fact that the first time the US government finally agreed to shift the role was on 26 July 2006 at an NTIA public meeting in Washington.

If your point is that I used the term “Internet” instead of “ICANN” - that’s because it’s a headline and few readers know what ICANN is, does or refers to.

If you don’t think that was made clear, the third paragraph reads: “However, assistant commerce secretary John Kneuer, the US official in charge of such matters, also made clear that the US was still determined to keep control of the net’s root zone file - at least in the medium-term.”

A headline is not supposed to be a precise summary of a story. How can it be? That’s what the story is for.

Kieren

It’s not about me missing your point.

It’s not some kind of grammatical error or grammatical choice.

I’m talking about reporting something incorrect.

The Register reported that the US government ceded control of the internet.

The US government did not cede control of the internet.

Ergo, The Register’s headline was incorrect.

If someone says they are going to do something, and it is certain to happen, then it is not exactly a revolutionary leap in the dark for a headline to put that future action into the present tense.

That’s all the headline did. And then - and I think perhaps this is worth pointing out for the 800th time - the actual story explains what really happened.

I find it incredible that people colour their entire understanding of a lengthy story based solely on the headline.

The real reason why everyone is upset about the story however is because of this comedy chasm the media has built up between what they want to be true and what is really happening.

Kieren

I made a bad.

:-)

How big is your desk?
(http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780198611868

“Cede” means to “relinquish” or “yield” or “give up”.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cede
(American Heritage Dictionary, but the paper OED on my desk says the same thing)

The US didn’t cede control of the internet. The headline was inaccurate.

It really is that simple.

It is simply written in different grammar in order to make it more active and present.

What I think is more evil in terms of journalism is “So-and-so will say later today that…” It is news playing with time in order to make it more immediate.

Kieren

For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s ever ok to knowingly run an inaccurate headline. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in.

Thanks for the compliment, anyway.

How did UNICEF become OECD? That’s something hidden somewhere in my brain chemicals that will most likely never see the light of day.

I’m going to change it but these two comments will remain here to forever point to the fact that I am a fool.

Ta, Ian

Kieren