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Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free.
Eighteen years ago, I was the managing editor of The Daily Texan, and Mike Godwin was the editor of the University of Texas student daily. We did not get along well -- something having to do with me trying to lead a mutiny, and, oh, wasn't college full of wacky hijinks like that? Mike would go on to become the first staff counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, around the time he coughed up this gem:
"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
Which is so true. Today, I edit a blog -- and today, Mike Godwin is general counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation, the goal of which is to bring "a free and accurate encyclopedia to every single person on the planet," fair enough. And today, Mike is the subject of a piece in The New York Times, in which Mike says you'd better get used to getting smeared on the Interwebs. C'mon -- it ain't that bad. It's ... fun, almost. And, yeah, it hurts. But, says Mike, "if democracy were comfortable, everybody would have it.” We'd get along swimmingly now. --Robert Wilonsky
Keep the Dallas Observer Free... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Dallas with no paywalls.
