nude in the news

Back when the people were still speculating about the full potential of the Internet, it seemed there could be no limit to all the wonders that freely transmitted information could bring to mankind. The info superhighway would become the ultimate democratizing and liberating force, spreading goodwill among people and even nations.

Finally, those wild and starry-eyed pipe dreams have come at least partially true, in what may be the biggest step forward in technological convergence since voyeurdorm.com combined home telescope kits with 24-hour video uplinks. The website, www.nakednews.com, offers in full streaming glory exactly what its name promises: news delivered by anchors in the buff.

Claiming to be "the program with nothing to hide," Naked News offers daily updates on entertainment, health, science and technology, trivial bits of info you wouldn't find anywhere else and a special (unfortunately, clothed) section in which the show goes to the streets to reach the masses. Though the anchors are indeed naked, there is no overt exploitation-the news is still delivered with dignity and enthusiasm. And unlike your typical network talking heads, the newscasters seem genuinely happy to be information conduits to the watching public. Although the initial shock of seeing the technology girl remove her blouse while talking about new enviro-friendly cars may be disorienting, at least you are never distracted by the pesky, body-obscuring wardrobes that those CNN types wear.

In one "Naked on the Street" section, the interviewer sought to gauge public opinion on the idea of nude broadcasters. Was the wary public ready for this odd future? Most seemed accepting of the idea, if not outright intrigued and excited-one enthusiastic respondent (probably a grad student) even called it "artistic expression." Unfortunately, many expressed a wish for gender equality through the use of male anchors, of which there are still none.

Does that mean that the convergence in Naked News takes more of its influence from porn than the news media? To that, we respond: Would you ever want to see Sam Donaldson or Larry King naked?