Are Bloggers “Real” Journalists?
Will Bloggers receive legal protection like “Real” Journalists? Looks like Congress is pushing to make it so. They’ve made some new revisions here lately to the Federal Shield Law or using the actual name, “Free Flow of Information Act of 2007,” that just might provide the protections of “Journalism” to bloggers too.
The shield laws are in place to protect journalists from being sued for not revealing their sources, among other freedom of speech protections. Basically, its in place to “protect the gathering and dissemination of news,” whether the person is actually carrying the title of “Journalist” as their career or not. Congress has approved the bill and is already making revisions to clarify what the title of Journalist is based upon. The main criteria of being an official Journalist is solely based on whether or not your writing for financial gain. Okay, Blogging may fulfill that criteria. Hey, I’m a Journalist!
Based upon that criteria alone, anyone blogging for money is a “Journalist”. Slighty broad criteria. Especially when so many people are writing blogs and using other online media forums for their personal or professional money-making benefit. Thing is not everyone is writing for money. Those writers should be protected under the protections of the state or federal shield laws as well, in my opinion.
What are the odds of a blogger being forced to reveal their sources in court? Probably for the average Joe, slim to none. Bloggers in general, can’t wait to tell the world all about their sources and give their opinions or share their firsthand experiences on everything and anything.
There may be a few loop-holes that Congress needs to workout still, but its definitely in the working.
This is an interesting article from a Blogitive perspective. We have thousands of bloggers who make money through blogging, and many of them would claim that in itself is a violation of their journalistic ethic.
I’m all for some bloggers being treated as journalist, but they should then have the same accountability. They should have to cite sources, and provide facts, not speculation.
Either way it will be interesting to see which way this goes.
This is a very interesting article, I will be very curious on how this turns out.