Monday, December 12, 2011

Are bloggers "real" journalists?

Not in the state of Oregon:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2016960612_apusbloggerdefamationsuit.html

A Montana blogger just got sued for defamation by an Oregon lawyer--and she lost the case because she couldn't prove her assertion that the lawyer was a "thug and a thief" without revealing her source. The judge ruled that she was not protected under Oregon's shield law--thus couldn't keep her source private--and wasn't a "real" journalist because she had no professional affiliation.

Interesting case. Like it's mentioned in the article, this probably won't be such a big deal for bloggers--at least until a case like this goes to the Supreme Court--but it certainly hits a nerve anyway.

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