Why I'm not a big fan of shield laws
For one thing, Sen. Richard Lugar's proposal wouldn't protect bloggers. And maybe it's just me, but I think having the federal government decide who's a journalist and who isn't is not a great idea. And that's effectively what would be going on.
My definition: journalism is something you do. If you gather information with the intent to distribute it publicly for the benefit of that public, you're committing journalism, pure and simple. And if anyone is entitled to the benefits of a shield law, then everyone who commits journalism is entitled to the same benefits, at least insofar as their acts of journalism are concerned.
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In other remarks Lugar said that this legislation could amount to special "privilege " for reporters over other Americans
Posted on October 12, 2005 3:40 PM
Precisely what I personally don't want to see. Freedom of the press belongs to the people, not just to a small subset who happen to be employed in a particular line of work. Any legislation needs to reflect that reality.
Posted on October 12, 2005 3:50 PM