Surprise, surprise … bloggers to be covered under the Senate version of the federal shield law

Island Turtle ^ | October 31 2009 | Corky Boyd

[Corky Boyd]

According to Editor & Publisher and other sources, the Senate has worked out the wrinkles of a federal shield law to protect news gatherers from being forced to reveal confidential sources. The issues holding it up were from the White House involving classified leaks and national security issues. The major surprise however is it apparently covers freelancers and “citizen journalists,” a euphemism used to describe bloggers.

"The negotiated compromise creates a fair standard to protect the public interest, journalists, the news media, bloggers, prosecutors and litigants," said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., a cosponsor of the Free Flow of Information Act...."

[RowdyFFC]

Why would we need a law to protect us when we already have the first amendment of the Constitution?

It doesn’t do any good for Congress to pass a law, if the courts won’t back it up! If they’re not backing up the first amendment, why would they back up another law?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

“In Korea you could get a good blogging for five American dollars.”

- Red Foreman “That 00’s Show”

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=ab698051e5aa9d0131f90b81709020af&cid=vplayer

[charles1252]

For once something I could support. With this scary administration bloggers need all the protection we can get.