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SENATE AMENDMENT WOULD GIVE DOJ POWER TO DETERMINE WHO IS A 'JOURNALIST'
breitbart.com ^ | September 13, 2013 | Bes Shapiro

Posted on 09/13/2013 5:03:44 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey

An amendment is moving through the Senate Judiciary Committee that would essentially allow the government to determine who is a journalist for purposes of legal protection of sources. For purposes of protecting a source, a “journalist” under law would be anyone who: Works or worked for “an entity or service that disseminates news or information by means of newspaper; nonfiction book; wire service; news agency; news website, mobile application or other news or information service…news program; magazine or other periodical…or through television or radio broadcast…” These people would have to have the “primary intent to investigate events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information.” Opinion journalists might not be covered.

Bloggers and citizen journalists – citizens who commit acts of journalists without working for such an outlet – would not be covered, unless it was determined that “at the inception of the process of gathering the news or information sought, had the primary intent to investigate issues or events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information.” In other words, the government – the Department of Justice – would now determine whether primary intent was news distribution or political concerns.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: freedomofthepress; press; speech; tyranny
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wow
1 posted on 09/13/2013 5:03:44 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey
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To: MeshugeMikey
First Amendment
2 posted on 09/13/2013 5:04:52 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

it would appear to be the case.

the DOJ...hmmm sounds familiar...


3 posted on 09/13/2013 5:06:20 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey (Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team / al-Kilab Division)
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To: MeshugeMikey

Bullsh!t!

There is no such thing as THE PRESS in the sense that term is used by elitist Progressives today — some sort of elite group whose members are allowed preferential treatment under law. In the Constitutional sense, “the press” is a technological device for disseminating information.

One cannot be a “member” of the press. One can only have access to a press.

Any device which enables one to state and publicize one’s views is a “press,” whether it be moveable type, offset, TV, radio, or the Internet. We all have free access to “the press,” meaning we have the right to pay any provider who wishes to sell us access to publicize our ideas.

In this regard, no CBS anchor has anymore claim to special treatment for being part of “the press” than does any blogger.

“Freedom of the press” applies equally to every citizen seeking to use a technological device to record and publicize his or her opinion.


4 posted on 09/13/2013 5:06:20 PM PDT by Maceman (Just say "NO" to tyranny.)
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To: Maceman

They want to stop bloggers from consorting with whistleblowers to reveal government wrongdoing.

Then we will only have “government-defined” (licensed) journalists, like those in the “real” media—the New York Times and Time Magazine—to keep us informed about what the news is.


5 posted on 09/13/2013 5:08:28 PM PDT by CondorFlight (I)
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To: Jet Jaguar; NorwegianViking; ExTexasRedhead; HollyB; FromLori; EricTheRed_VocalMinority; ...

Do you have your license to post on the internet?

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/


6 posted on 09/13/2013 5:08:33 PM PDT by Nachum (I am Breitbartacus!)
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To: MeshugeMikey
So much for Freedom of the Press whether you agree with protected sources or not...this is a form of censorship and control of speech and the idea of the 'press.'


7 posted on 09/13/2013 5:08:45 PM PDT by EBH (America is not judge, jury, and executioner for the world.)
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To: MeshugeMikey

Yeah, cuz the only ones who really question the Administration is people like Matt Drudge, who used to be a gift-shop clerk, and now runs a HIGHLY effective, (almost) one-man operation.

And he’s SUPPLANTING the cartelized, legacy media that has been coopted by The Establishment.

And WE, TOO, are part of the new and highly effective electronic Samizdat.

AND THEY CANNOT STAND IT.

So they’re going to try and simply make us ILLEGAL.


8 posted on 09/13/2013 5:09:17 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: MeshugeMikey

Where the Second Amendment goes, the FIRST Amendment swiftly follows.

First they came for the gun-owners, but.....

Well you know the REST.


9 posted on 09/13/2013 5:11:01 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: Maceman
“Freedom of the press” applies equally to every citizen seeking to use a technological device to record and publicize his or her opinion."

Thats correct. there were no more advanced technologies for dissemenating inforamtion when the term "freedom of the press" was coined.

Somehow the phrase "freedom of the tongue" just never got the respect it deserved...



This message not approved by the D.O.J.



10 posted on 09/13/2013 5:13:03 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey (Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team / al-Kilab Division)
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To: gaijin
darn near first hand......


This message not approved by the D.O.J.

11 posted on 09/13/2013 5:14:53 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey (Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team / al-Kilab Division)
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To: MeshugeMikey

Bad idea ... think Eric the Corrupt and his band of racketeering lawyers of the DOJ.


12 posted on 09/13/2013 5:15:15 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Progressives when they fail blame others and do the same thing again expecting different results)
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To: CondorFlight

Precisely.

They want ABSOLUTE control!


13 posted on 09/13/2013 5:16:45 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( Un-Documented Journalist / Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team)
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To: EBH

Thank You..from one undocumented journalist to another


14 posted on 09/13/2013 5:17:47 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( Un-Documented Journalist / Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team)
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To: gaijin

They have no idea of just how HUGE the backlash ALREADY IS!!

EMAIL JOURNALISTS TAKE NOTE


15 posted on 09/13/2013 5:18:58 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( Un-Documented Journalist / Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team)
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To: RetiredTexasVet

Imagine the response this will get ... on... say...FAZEDBOOK!!?


16 posted on 09/13/2013 5:19:52 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( Un-Documented Journalist / Block Captain..Tyranny Response Team)
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To: gaijin

I will tell you something about Japan —the 3rd biggest economy:

Their press is dominated by “Kisshya Kai” —the press pool.

It’s a kind of news cartel of journalists assigned to each government ministry, and they have very stable membership lists over time.

The stated reason is to uphold standards and provide quality service, but naturally what happens is that politicians develop special relationships with the journalists covering them —the politician becomes 10% journo and the journo becomes 50% politician.

The relationship is close and can sometimes offer advantages, however most of the time it’s a huge impediment to breaking really important stories: he (it’s almost always a HE) will lose access if he doesn’t hold back crucial details, sometimes —the relationship will be damaged.

No huge political scandals in Japan are ever broken by “reputable” papers or magazines. Each press pool regularly meets in private and as a GROUP they decide what pieces of info are worthy of publication.

The hot, important political stories are broken by what by Japanese standards would be considered, “The National Enquirer”, or more accurately, the black-and-white “Space Baby Found In Watermelon” rags we have next to the registers.

So apparently The Regime wants to set up a more cartelized media that is closed to the likes of FR, etc.

The system they want is anti-market and the TRUTH will suffer —this makes sense for a gummint run by a Gay Muslim who smuggles machine-guns and missiles when he is not (expensively) vacationing.


17 posted on 09/13/2013 5:22:48 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: MeshugeMikey

Or Farce-book?


18 posted on 09/13/2013 5:23:10 PM PDT by Sir Francis Dashwood ("Arjuna, why have you have dropped your bow???")
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To: MeshugeMikey

Di Fi the Evil is behind this....along with Obozo. The GOP had better have the balls to kill this piece of offal.


19 posted on 09/13/2013 5:25:46 PM PDT by Nifster
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To: MeshugeMikey
[DOJ]...would now determine whether primary intent was news distribution or political concerns.

And that's the scary and revealing part. Why make a distinction? What about free speech?

The "news" media of today are indistinguishable from propaganda (political) organs. They print very little straight news reports; almost all of them are liberally sprinkled with a left-leaning tilt.

So, those "news" organizations or bloggers that lean left will be left alone to spread their "news", but those leaning right will be harassed and prosecuted, the ultimate goal of this "legislation".

20 posted on 09/13/2013 5:26:49 PM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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