First Amendement Rights

I just stumbled upon this article in my research and wanted to share it- a comprehensive view of historical indy journalists and why bloggers should enjoy their first amendment rights.

Should Bloggers Be Covered By the First Amendment?

"Anyone who engages in reporting – whether for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, or blogs – deserves equal protection under those laws, whether the news is delivered with a quill pen or a computer."

Big Brother's Looming

In an article in New York Times on the purchase of the Hartford Advocate by the Hartford Currant, Big Brother has resurfaced.

Similar to the purchase of the Huffington Post by AOL, the concern of this particular purchase is that these two publications are everything the other isn't, and the new ownership will now have an impact on the type of coverage and style, not to mention slant, of the each of the publications.

In journalism 101, you learn that the purpose of the journalist, the fourth estate, is to function as a check on the other three balances of power. The more publications there are, the more views are covered, and more checks are put on the politics in charge.

With a very strong Big Brother feel, media has developed into a shard monopoly and children of those monopolies. Most people are unaware of the fact that companies like Disney and ABC are owned by the same conglomerate. More importantly, most people are unaware of the hierarchy of news media, particular television news.

Because there is a level of ignorance on this issue, it is easier for media conglomerates to feed slanted information to the masses, all the while entirely undetected.

Makes you stop and think about what information you are getting, doesn't it?

Blogger's Rights

In a recent article by Sieon Roux at the Oregonian, "Bloggers might be excluded from Oregon's executive meetings," Roux discusses how certain city councils, like that of Lake Oswego, do not have any legislature on the legal rights of bloggers as either journalists or citizens.

Oswego may define news organizations as "institutionalized," "well-established," and producing at least 25 percent news content.

This is ridiculous. It is an arbitrary decision that, if decided upon, would greatly restrict the dissemination of pertinent news information to the general public in that local area. This is against a journalist's first amendment rights, and, in this day and age, bloggers just happen to be journalists.

Judson Randall, President of Open Oregon, discussed how it is nearly impossible to define what exactly news is and who could

"The policy also raises new and troubling questions because it attempts to use content and "news" to determine whether a media organization is legitimate, said Judson Randall, president of Open Oregon.

"'Who defines news?' he asked. 'If somebody writes a column, is that news? Is there information in there that is newsworthy you wouldn't consider news? There's all kinds of shades in there. If I were a city council, I wouldn't want to be in a position to decide that.'"

With the same concerns that surfaced when television came into being and the future of radio seemed uncertain, it is clear that the future of print journalism is facing the same concerns, but in light of this situation, it seems backwards to prevent the new media from having access to the same information that an apparently dying breed has access to.

In the independent blog Lorell on Wordpress, she states that "Freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression."

Because there are an abundance of independent journalists with blogs and access to internet-based media with which they can make their pieces viral, the online consensus is that bloggers have the same right as "professional" journalists.

Wait one second. Do you know how many "professional" journalists have turned into indy bloggers. Furthermore, what exactly is a "professional" journalist and who is to decide? Is it their credentials, their title, the status (or lack thereof) of the publication where they work?

The answer is clear. In a world of citizen journalism, everyone is a journalist. However, it is the moral integrity and talent of the journalist that determines their credibility and the "professional"ism. Those who prove themselves should be awarded the same rights as "professional" journalists, and it is absurd that this is even still a discussion.

Grassroots Fundraising

In the article "His Fans Greenlight the Project," Glen Greenwald is able to raise $267,892 in just 10 days for his idea for a movie, "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers." At the time, the movie had not been created or funded in anyway. By simply utilizing his fan base and list of emails, he appealed to his audience members and familiar names to help him fund a movie that would have an incredible impact on the November elections. He broke down the costs into numbers that people could understand: "4000 people giving $50 each. We'll put everyone's name in the credits." He promised names in the credits and just like that he was funded.

This story is somewhat shocking, but not all that surprising in today's world of immediacy. It gives hope to those independent journalists who are looking for a niche, or who may have already found a niche, and are simply faced with the obstacle of funding their ideas.

Starting an independent project is an obstacle in itself. Besides the obvious trials and tribulations that come with developing a plan of action, a cohesive project proposal, and answering the ever-important "why does anyone care" question, finding a niche and someone to fund your project is an enormous feat.

Strengthening Independent Media, "a multi-year initiative of the Salzburg Global Seminar, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Global Forum for Media Development, which aims to bring greater strategic focus and coordination to the field of independent media development around the world," focuses much of its energy on helping independent media sources find funding and raise awareness about their outlet. It is organizations like this that greatly aid the progress of independent media.

But if you took the Greenwald approach, you'd probably get more money quicker. Keep that method in your back pocket for later use.