Harvard 'Old Boy Network' Could Help Apple Web-Site OperatorHarvard 'Old Boy Network' Could Help Apple Web-Site Operator

Harvard's "old boy network" may inadvertently help the 19-year-old Harvard Crimson editor and Web-site publisher who is being sued by Apple Computer. Beginning Monday, another Harvard man, Garrett Graff, who publishes a Web site on the media, takes his place as a credentialed White House correspondent, in the process obtaining journalistic certification.

Harvard freshman Nicholas Ciarelli, who operates the Think Secret Internet site that discusses Apple and its products, maintains that Web sites such as his represent legitimate journalism and he should be entitled to the protections of journalists.

Graff, 23, a former executive editor of the Crimson, operates a blog--www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc--and he is thought to be the first blogger to be given press credentials by the White House.

According to the New York Times, Graff was helped in his quest for the coveted White House journalism credentials by other bloggers and by the White House Correspondents Association, whose members had decided to approve Graff's application. "Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, told the New York Times, "It is the press corps' briefing room and if there are any new lines to be drawn, it should be done by their association."

In the meantime, Ciarelli, who uses the nom de plume of "Nick dePlume" on his Web site, is awaiting word this week from a California judge in another Santa Clara County court, on whether he will be forced to reveal his confidential sources because the judge doesn't consider him to be a bone fide journalist. Judge James Kleinberg of the Santa Clara county Superior Court in San Jose, said last week that he was inclined to force Ciarelli to reveal his sources. Specifically, Judge Kleinberg said he would likely permit Apple to subpoena Ciarelli's Web site and two other Web sites--Powerpage.org and Apple Insider.

In another development, Ciarelli's attorney, Terry Gross of San Francisco, has petitioned a Santa Clara California court to dismiss Apple's lawsuit.

In his court filings, Ciarelli revealed that his Think Secret Web site received an average of 2.5 million "hits" a month, with page views jumping to 5 million, indicating that the publicity over Apple's lawsuit has attracted more traffic to his site. Ciarelli stated that he believes most of the sources for his site are not Apple employees.

He said: "Think Secret does not often obtain usable information from anonymous sources, however, and such information frequently involves inaccuracies and mistakes, and rarely involves usable information about potential future Apple products.

"Moreover, Think Secret has a general policy not to publish information obtained from an anonymous source unless the information can be corroborated." Apple has declined to comment on the litigation, saying it has a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.