Shielding Journalists?

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The Senate Judiciary Committee is sending a bill to the full senate that is crafted to shield Journalists from having to reveal their sources.

Sounds good so far, right?

The issue here is that the Committee is defining who the Journalists are.

The bill protects anyone who reports news for, “an entity or service that disseminates news and information.”  Freelancers for such organizations are also protected for traditional and online media.

Ah, but here is a significant problem: The bill excludes posts on Social Media such as Blogs, Twitter and Facebook.  Also the bill says that the Feds can still “compel disclosure” from Journalists if they have information that could help prevent serious crimes.  My concern is for the independent bloggers that do investigative reporting based on sources they may have cultivated on the inside? 

Personal note:  I represent a bona fide news organization through MoGN, MGN Online and Multimedia Graphic Network, Inc., so I am probably covered, right?

So what do you think?  I look forward to your comments.

 ─Jeff Wald, Executive Director, Mobile Generated News®, Los Angeles.

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