Federal judge: Montana blogger is not journalist

ap ^ | 12/7/11 | JEFF BARNARD

[Nachum]

A federal judge in Oregon has ruled that a Montana woman sued for defamation was not a journalist when she posted online that an Oregon lawyer acted criminally during a bankruptcy case, a decision with implications for bloggers around the country.

Crystal L. Cox, a blogger from Eureka, Mont., was sued for defamation by attorney Kevin Padrick when she posted online that he was a thug and a thief during the handling of bankruptcy proceedings by him and Obsidian Finance Group LLC.

U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez found last week that as a blogger, Cox was not a journalist and cannot claim the protections afforded to mainstream reporters and news outlets.

[A CA Guy]

A local journalist has be be what?

[A CA Guy]

‘to’ be what?

[A CA Guy]

‘to’ be what?

[GreaterSwiss]

judges and lawyers are best friends.. it’s an inside game.. she needs to appeal

[arderkrag]

How utterly idiotic. Freedom of speech and the press should mean exactly that, even beyond the limits of defamation and libel. You should not be able to sue someone just because they say naughty or untrue things about you. You have no right to your image.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

A local journalist has be be what?
_______________________________________________

Whatever the all-knowing powers-that-be regulate them to “be”.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

So much for equal protection under the law. Media and govt. officials can ruin people’s lives using rumor and heresay without having to be held responsible.

[muawiyah]

At the same time lawyers are "officers of the court" and should have to mount the same hurdles as other politicians in libel or slander cases.

Else, they can get honest employment somewhere ~ like the rest of us do.

[hinckley buzzard]

Right. If it were a normal person rather than a "lawyer" bringing the suit the judge would have thrown it out. The idea of a judge defining "Who is a journalist?" is offensive to every American.

[sten]

so only ‘journalists’ have freedom speech and of the press?

since when

[no-to-illegals]

So the 1st has no weight for those without mainstream reporters credentials and news outlets credentials? Probably a series of a long line of similar decisions from our judiciary, where the 1st is not protected, if slander can be or is alleged. The writing is on the wall.

[icwhatudo]

Lets all have a "I'm Spartacus" moment.

Kevin Padrick is a thug and a thief while handling bankruptcy proceedings by him and Obsidian Finance Group LLC.

Kevin Padrick is a thug and a thief while handling bankruptcy proceedings by him and Obsidian Finance Group LLC.

[blackdog]

My favorite book of all time is from the late 70's which details documented cases of around fifty of the most corrupt federal and state judges in modern times.

The book was available for about three years and then "poof" it vanished from publication never to return.

[GeronL]

Freedom of the press means the government does not decide who is the press.

[NonValueAdded]

This will be overturned.

[no-to-illegals]

Have witnessed similar. Reporter with credentials going after officers of the court for violations perceived, and ‘poof’ the reporter was never heard from again.

[cport]

"My intensions are the highest and best," she said.

How ironic. In a story that the MSM AP, with their cadre of "professional" journalists, have been granted self importance over bloggers by this ruling, and they can't even be bothered to proofread or use spell check.

[VeniVidiVici]

Seems to me that this wouldn’t make it such a stretch any more to set qualifications for voting.