As a result of widespread piracy movie producers get about 2 weeks to monetize a movie...surely a constraint on investment (of money and time) and probably also quality?

I would like to question the assertion that the Nigerian film industry is bigger than that of the US. It just doesn't make sense. It does not compute. The Sundance Film Festival ALONE receives nearly 2 000 US feature film submissions every year! (1 943 for 2011 - http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/2011-competition-film-announcement/ ) Other festivals, like Slamdance, receive thousands of submissions every year as well. If we take these into account, as well as the major studio releases, made for TV movies and direct-to-DVD movies it would be difficult to conclude that the US makes less movies than Nigeria. In terms of revenue it has been estimated that Nollywood is worth $200 - $300 million per year...in other words the equivalent of 1 US hit movie!

Some of the other commenters have suggested that freedom of the press is restricted to journalists and that it is, or should be, necessary for a person to satisfy a number of requirements in order to be considered a journalist. That is not what the US constitution says. It is quite clear actually, "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." Period.Freedom of the press applies to ANYONE who publishes information or ideas...after all you do not need to be a journalist to operate a press. Wikileaks is a publisher (as is anyone with website) and are therefore entitled to this freedom. Thomas Jefferson, who is probably turning in his grave over the behavior of the US Government, had this to say on the freedom of the press, "They fill their newspapers with falsehoods, calumnies and audacities. I shall protect them in their right of lying and calumniating."And in conclusion, ironically from an American GOVERNMENT website, "One sign of the importance of a free press is that when antidemocratic forces take over a country, their first act is often to muzzle the press." - [ http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2008/June/20080630215145eaifas0.6333842.html ]

Some of the other commenters have suggested that freedom of the press is restricted to journalists and that it is, or should be, necessary for a person to satisfy a number of requirements in order to be considered a journalist. That is not what the US constitution says. It is quite clear actually, “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Period. Freedom of the press applies to ANYONE who publishes information or ideas…after all you do not need to be a journalist to operate a press. Wikileaks is a publisher (as is anyone with website) and are therefore entitled to this freedom. Thomas Jefferson, who is probably turning in his grave over the behavior of the US Government, had this to say on the freedom of the press, “They fill their newspapers with falsehoods, calumnies and audacities. I shall protect them in their right of lying and calumniating.” And in conclusion, ironically from an American GOVERNMENT website, “One sign of the importance of a free press is that when antidemocratic forces take over a country, their first act is often to muzzle the press.” – [ http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2008/June/20080630215145eaifas0.6333842.html ]

The designs do look very similar...form follows function? As for Read It Later they have demonstrated that they will try to dictate what applications there users are allowed to use....which of course means that it would be stupid to rely on their service (even if they have reversed their position).

Someone should tell the politicians that George Orwell's 1984 was meant as satire and not a "how-to" guide.

I am glad someone has pointed this out. No-one really minds when a bully get his ass whipped (other than the bully of course).

Americans let their government get away with: 1) Holding people without trial. 2) Kidnapping people and shipping them off to countries where they probably got tortured. 3) Killing innocent people (some of them journalists) and trying to cover it up. 4) Running assassination campaigns in foreign countries. 5) Going to war on the basis of lies. I suspect that we will soon be able to soon add charging Julian Assange with exercising free speech to this list.

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" - Benjamin Franklin The recent leaks have only proven what we already knew: politicians and diplomats lie in public and tell the brutal truth in private (as is often the case for anyone who operates in a "politically correct" environment). I am interested to hear how this might trigger world war 3?

The US government has not made Wikileaks go away. A few days ago there were just over 500 mirrors. Today there are over 1500 mirrors.