Posted on 06/05/2013 9:18:43 AM PDT by don-o
Whether bloggers count as journalists has mostly been a matter of esoterics for reporter types. But as Congress weighs a media shield law in response to the Associated Press/Justice Department subpoena scandal, the question is gaining an urgency that lawmakers are finding hard to ignore as they turn to writing the bill.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took on the issue—and stumbled.
"Who is a journalist is a question we need to ask ourselves," he said. "Is any blogger out there saying anything—do they deserve First Amendment protection? These are the issues of our times."
The verbal slipup aside (of course bloggers are covered under the Bill of Rights!), Graham's riffing on constitutional law exposes one of the age-old tensions between journalism as a product and journalism as an activity. What Graham really meant to ask was whether bloggers deserve the specific protections of the First Amendment that are granted to the press. But as the line between blogger and journalist has blurred, a far more relevant challenge is figuring out whether those protections apply to the behavior of finding and passing on (sometimes secret) information, or if they apply only to people with little plastic ID badges to prove their affiliation.
In some ways, what this episode really suggests is that it might be time to retire the word "blogger" as an artifact of the aughts.
It's not complicated. We all have freedom of speech, even those who support Obama as more important than preserving America as a free country. We all have freedom of the press, even ordinary people who post on Kos and DU or who slam Governor Sarah Palin right here on FR. These are God-given rights, and He gave them to every single person on earth - even Muslims who don't want to have those rights, even to leftists who don't want us to have those rights, and even to the unborn babies who will be murdered by their own mothers at Planned Parenthood before they ever have a chance to communicate aloud or in writing and exercise those rights.
Since when?
Are there blogs devoted to his “life style” of choice?
It does not matter what you think they deserve. The constitution guarantees them 1st amendment rights no matter what your wishes might be.
Can this clown be recalled?
Any chance Trey Gowdy will run in 2014 primary to FINALLY remove Linda Gramnesty?
Is this spitwad retarded or something?
The Bill of Rights only applies to speshul people, Linseed? GFY!
Oh, Lindsey! You’re SUCH a bitch! I just want to pinch your chubby cheeks!
(No, the ones on your face.)
Do we have to register as reporters before expressing an opinion? What are the standards? What are the requirements? Where is the free government training program?
Sweet Lindsey is a POS!
Bravo!
I called Lindsay Graham and I told him that if bloggers doesn’t deserve the protection of the first amendment, then he doesn’t deserve re-election this coming 2014, and that I will work hard to see he is not re-elected.
Ha. All this time, I thought there was an individual right to free speech. Silly me.
Who determines who is a Journalist? No matter how bad, I say the person
doing it for a living is enough. The Democrats are the worst offenders
against the 1st Amendment!
We don’t need no steeeeenkin’ Constitution.
Good for you! I’ll work with you to elect a solid conservative as Linda’s replacement.
Obama will shut down 'the competition' and blame it on one idiot Republican? Sweet for liberals.
Citizens turned to the Internet starting with 'Whitewater' as a search for truth. The New York Times gave one side - with elegance and superb writing - but just one side. Other newspaper followed.
People turned away from the MSM - and toward the inelegant writers of the Internet in a search for fairness
It wasn't the "internet" that was the problem - it was a lack of fairness.
The IRS tried to help the MSM by taking away our rights to assemble and speak... but that's backfired. This plan will backfire too.
“Is any blogger out there saying anything—do they deserve First Amendment protection? These are the issues of our times.”
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