John F. Burns is the best writer in American newspapers. That’s why I maintain an archive– currently containing 93 of his most recent articles, going back pretty comprehensively to the beginning of the Iraq war– over here at http://johnfburns.blogspot.com/. Couple of points I want to make:
- The New York Times is my favorite publication, the only thing I read every day. It is my literature. They are my heroes. I approach this archive with respect, not disdain
- I am a practitioner of a form of art– research art. In the same vein as what my friend Shane Swank is up to in his Stolen Pixels series
- The act of archiving– seeing the item, bedding down a spot for it, copying/ pasting the item into the archive– is my art. Out of all the items from all the newspapers in all the world, I choose these to save & group together
- What I am making can be considered a “derivative work” of copyrighted material owned by the New York Times Company. I have not sought or obtained permission from them to create such work. I believe that there should be a change in copyright that allows this work without permission. See more here at Derivative Works Manifesto
If John F. Burns asked me to remove this archive from the internet, I would do so. Otherwise, let’s get started on making the law match the methods of artists.