SAN FRANCISCO, May 26 — A California appeals court ruled Friday that online reporters are protected by the same confidentiality laws that protect traditional journalists…
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In its ruling, the appeals court said online and offline journalists are equally protected under the First Amendment. “We can think of no workable test or principle that would distinguish ‘legitimate’ from ‘illegitimate’ news,” the opinion states. “Any attempt by courts to draw such a distinction would imperil a fundamental purpose of the First Amendment.”The ruling states that Web sites are covered by California’s shield law protecting the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.
The ruling strikes me as correct despite the slippery slope. Yes, not all bloggers qualify as journalists but enough do to justify using the First Amendment to protect them. (via Bitch PhD)