Didn’t we know that already? In the latest edition of WebPro News, there is a story about how the House has decided that bloggers do not count as journalists and can therefore be forced to disclose the source of their information if something they have written on their blog is ever called into question.
As you well know, I don’t consider some “journalists” to be worthy of being called journalists. At least not the fear-mongering media mouthpieces that I see anyway. And I never really thought that bloggers considered themselves to be “journalists,” hell, we’re alot better than that. 🙂
According to WebPro News, both the House and Senate agreed that journalism entails:
“the regular gathering, preparing, collecting, photography, recording, writing, editing, reporting, or publishing of news or information that concerns local, national, or international events or other matters of public interest for dissemination to the public.”
Unfortunately, the House chose to add the following language to their definition:
“for a substantial portion of the person’s livelihood or for substantial financial gain and includes a supervisor, employer, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of such covered person.”
What this really means is that unless you are operating under a larger umbrella, you can expect to be strong-armed by the government should you say anything suspect on your blog. At least, that’s what I got from it.
Share your thoughts about this topic. Everyone knows we get our best information from our bloggers, so what do you all think about this latest development?
Until next time…
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