[Rational Thought]

Hmm....

[TheBigIf]

So in the opinion of the New Jersey state Court only state sanctioned media has the protections of the 1st Amendment.

How fascist of them.

[Veristhorne]

Also Hmmm...
from the article:”New Jersey’s highest court says online message boards are little more than forums for discussion and don’t fit the definition of news media as described by the law.”

I didn’t know there was a legal definition of “news media.”
I wonder if CNN qualifies...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Next we'll be licensing "journalists."

But it would be racist to have any literacy requirements to get one.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

WTF?

Who decides which are “real” journalists?

Will New Jersey start requiring licenses? Very, very steep slippery slope for the media dare have even one inch, even once trod.

[KarlInOhio]

How much do I have to publish to be an official "media outlet"? If I blog, but I print a dozen copies of my opinions to pass out in the neighborhood will I count as a newspaper? What about former newspapers who have retreated from paper? The Christian Science Monitor has dropped back to one printed issue per week. Is their website still shielded?

Freedom of the press applies to all people. Either everyone should have the shield law applied or no one should.

[Alberta's Child]

There must be some angle to the story that has been completely missed in this report. One important consideration is this: What authority does a New Jersey court have in a case involving a blogger based in the state of Washington? Wouldn't this be covered under Federal statutes, by definition?

I'd be curious to get any input from Freeper lawyers on this.

[Buckeye McFrog]

This is the same NJSC that ORDERED Gov. Christie to bust his budget on school spending. What would you expect?

[Lancey Howard]

ping

[xzins]

That’s BS. The Constitution doesn’t say “freedom of the mainstream press.”

[JudgemAll]

Well, courts and judges lie all the time, and so do cops, so, obviously they want to control the media.

OK.

These courts have no standing, period. This is a mob.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

So...do I have to incorporate as a newspaper to enjoy the same rights as the fishwrappers and encre pisseurs at the NYT and WaPo?

[Spktyr]

No problem - now this should be stripped away from Old Media journalists as well.

[Carry_Okie]

Whether one agrees that State shield laws are constitutional or not (yes, I know the First Amendment has been incorporated), there is no doubt that this is a violation of 14th Amendment equal protection.

[GeronL]

So where in the First Amendment did it say that we have less free speech than a jerbalist???

[The KG9 Kid]

The First Amendment is a restriction on government from even SAYING what's a newspaper and what's not.

What the hell goes on in New Jersey?

[madmaximus]

FUNJ beaucrats, FU government!!! FU liberals!!! FU Gen Y!!!

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

The New Jersey Supreme Court has gay orgies with barnyard animals...

[Recovering_Democrat]

LOL. Yeah, good luck trying to make THAT ruling hold up to First Amendment scrutiny. Even the liberal justices on SCOTUS aren’t likely to buy that non-sensical crap.

Hell, this is one RARE issue on which members of DU, Free Republic, and the most boring “Moderates” can agree—there is no Constitutional reason to nullify such rights.

The New Jersey Boobs who came up with this wholly ignorant opinion (this wasn’t the Supreme Court of NJ, was it?) can shove it. Hard. And Deep.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

For decades the leftists have been claiming that the 2nd Amendment gave “the militia” (meaning the state-run military) the to keep and bear arms, not “the people,” to which the counterargument was: “Then that means the 1st Amendment gives only the state freedom of the press, etc.”

Well, they’ve finally figured out a way to ensure that the Bill of Rights pertains only to “the State.”

I can’t believe the sale of pitchforks has not skyrocketed in the past couple of years. It truly is a testament to either the inherent peacefulness and tolerance of the American people or to the unparalleled success of brainwashing in the school system.

[culpeper]

Challenge