TerryGale
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e-Annoyance in the Internet Sandboxhttp://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/03/30/1512196-sun.html
Howard Stern may consider himself an honest man trying to keep his reputation - despite his on-air curiousity about sexual topics, but his less mature fans and some feminists aren't playing well in the internet sandbox. First, separate the host's issues from his fan's issues. Then consider, where does legitimate concern end and hysteria begin?
| Quote: | Activist fears Stern fans - T.O. woman wants pair charged for 'threats'
By Alan Cairns, Toronto Sun, Thu, March 30, 2006
A Toronto anti-violence activist who slammed satellite radio shock jock Howard Stern wants criminal charges laid against Stern "fanatics" she says are harassing her.
Val Smith wants Toronto Police to charge two local Stern fans amid fears she is in danger from "intimidation" and "threats" that followed her criticism of Stern on her website.
Smith's allegations of harassment come only weeks after the controversial radio show host returned to Canada with the Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. pay network.
Stern and his syndicated show left the public airwaves late last year when he signed a five-year contract with Sirius, worth an estimated $600 million in cash and stocks.
The Canadian arm of Sirius Canada - owned by a consortium of Sirius, the Canadian Broadcast Corp. and Standard Radio - initially balked at Stern because they feared regulatory grief, but then did an about-turn last month.
Smith said Stern's views on women make her "skin crawl."
In a series of profane and vile chat entries on the American-based Stern Fan Network (SFN), one subscriber who lives north of Toronto encouraged Stern acolytes to not only "fight back" against Smith but also to look up her home phone number.
"I gotta go smoke a joint before my mind explodes with hate for this stupid bitch," the man wrote.
One agitated Stern fan from Peterborough, who Smith has since identified on her website, also threatened in an e-mail to post her address, e-mail address, social insurance number and car make and licence number on the SFN.
In various SFN chat entries and e-mails sent to Smith over the past two months, Stern fans have aimed numerous gutter profanities and lewd sexual suggestions at her.
"They can hardly open their mouths without calling me the C-word," Smith said.
She said her harassers are cowardly "cartoon characters" who wrongly thought she would "cower in a corner when they shovelled dirt" on her.
LETTER TO POLICE
In a complaint letter she sent to Toronto 43 Division Det. Peter Moreira late Tuesday, Smith argued that charges should be laid.
She fears violence not only against herself but also against other unrelated Valerie Smiths who may be targeted. "Is it necessary to wait until some Valerie Smith is attacked by these creeps before that happens?"
Moreira could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The Peterborough man who e-mailed Smith told her that he felt intimidated by a "personal vendetta" which began after he "dared" to post an opinion about her "campaign of hate."
The Toronto-area man who e-mailed asked who appointed Smith "the moral guardian for all of Canada."
He wrote Smith is more dangerous to Stern's show than the CRTC.
The two fans did not answer e-mail requests for interviews. |
Other related links..
http://www.fradical.com/Radio.htm
http://www.fradical.com/Tips%20for%20Howard%20Stern%20fans.htm
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Guest
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 Sometimes posters in an "uncensored forum" get carried away. But the ones who e-mailed her and threatened exposure, did they really have her details? Did they get them from a website she'd identified herself with? rapidshare.de/files/16807236/SFN_CDNblogger.zip.html
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Viking Kitty
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As a forum, SFN does some things very well (relationship with the show, excellent clip sharing and photo sub-forums). It's a shame some get carried away when out in public.
Still, we all would do well to speak for free speech and self-censorship vs government censorship. Turn the dial if you don't like a host.
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MiserableMan
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No doubt about it, Howard attracts a lot of young, immature fans. Good moderation should be able to protect that forum.
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