Comments on: Bloggers should be allowed to join the journalist party

Congress has passed a new bill allowing journalists to gain full shielding, but bloggers were left out. Technology journalist, Don Reisinger, believes this is disgusting and explains why bloggers deserve every right he has received.

[bn-tx]

Everone Join In

That's a great idea. Then when someone has information about a crime, they can simply write something about it in a blog and then they cannot be compelled to reveal their sources. Wow. That should make law enforcement so much easier and more effective--it really cuts down your workload when there is no testimony to hear. This could solve our problem with overloaded court dockets. But don't worry, no one in the Mafia (if they really existed) would start a blog. We know that people involved in criminal activity aren't smart enough to use legal protections to shield themselves from the Law ;)

[ANUSHIP]

Very well said

You have really put it into proper words. But how will you distinguish between a blogger and a journalist. Somewhere you have to draw a line.
I am completely in favor of what you said. I am also a blogger. But as everyone know blogging has become a phenomenon and as per statistics say, almost 70% people in America now maintain at least one blog.
Should all of these be covered in this bill. I doubt it...

[Solaris_User]

Absolutely.

Since when are we to declare our occupation to the government to be in accordance with their laws?

Freedom of speach applies everywhere, to everyone, all the time.

[mikestroud]

Totally agree with the sentiments

I wrote a blog entitled the Fifth Estate some months arguing that citizen journalists represented a Fifth Estate: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Media and Citizen Journalists, which I dubbed cloggers. Thought you might enjoy the blogs: The Fifth Estate, http://news.ihollywoodforum.com/public/item/162476 and Imus vs. the Cloggers, http://news.ihollywoodforum.com/public/item/166218

[thedong]

that's crap

The ability to buy a computer and create an account on blogger.com does not a journalist make. If you offer the protection to some, you must offer it to all, and they simply do not deserve it. A blogger should have the ability to gain the protections journalists enjoy, but they should not get them simply because they can power up a computer and connect to the internet.
Matt