Bush Administration to Bloggers: First Amendment Doesn’t Apply To You
Jun 14th, 2007 | By James Lewin | Category: General, Podcasting Law
The Bush administration on Thursday attacked a congressional bill that would help protect the First Amendment rights of news gathers, including bloggers and podcasters.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice official, the Free Flow of Information Act (pdf) would pose a grave threat to national security and federal criminal investigations by protecting the free speech rights of far too large a segment of the population.
The latest version of the Free Flow of Information Act would protect anyone engaged in journalism, which is defined as “gathering, preparing, collecting, photographing, recording, writing, editing, reporting or publishing of news or information that concerns local, national or international events or other matters of public interest for dissemination to the public.”
“The definition is just so broad that it really includes anyone who wants to post something to the Web,” said the Justice Dept.’s Rachel Brand at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. She also argued it would protect “terrorist operatives”.
Supporters of the act say such legislation is needed in light of high-profile cases involving New York Times reporter Judith Miller and what free-press advocacy groups characterize as a sharp rise in subpoenas to reporters in recent years.
William Safire, a longtime New York Times columnist and former Nixon administration speech writer, praised the bill’s current definition of journalists, because it focuses on the actions characteristic of journalists, not their affiliations.
“Whether you’re a blogger or whether you’re The New York Times or CBS or The Wall Street Journal, if what you are doing is aimed at informing the public, then you’re a journalist, whether you get paid for it or not,” he said.
via CNet
I just hate this guy more and more each day. ‘Nuff said.
Shine on,
Aaron
Watch it - he’ll sick Barney on you!
“She also argued it would protect ‚Äúterrorist operatives‚Äù.”
When people say stuff like this why doesn’t the media ask which ones it would support…And if they know which ones then why don’t they take them out…if they don’t know of any then the argument has no value because it is a LIE!!! You cant just say shit and expect it to hold any truth you need proof. The truth is the most of the “terrorists” are concerned citizens.
[...] Podcasting News ¬ª Bush Administration to Bloggers: First Amendment Doesn‚Äôt Apply To You “The Bush administration on Thursday attacked a congressional bill that would help protect the First Amendment rights of news gathers, including bloggers and podcasters.” (tags: newmedia politics freespeech blogging podcasting media journalism law) [...]
[...] ‚ÄúThe definition is just so broad that it really includes anyone who wants to post something to the Web,‚Äù said the Justice Dept.‚Äôs Rachel Brand at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. She also argued it would protect ‚Äúterrorist operatives‚Äù.¬† Bush Administration to Bloggers: First Ammendment Doesn’t Apply to You [...]