Apple of my eye
Are bloggers journalists? If so, should they be given the same protections? Should their sources remain confidential, and when they refuse to reveal them, should there be any penalties? A case in California involving three blogging sites versus Apple is asking these same questions, and so far Apple is winning.
This isn't good news. Bloggers have something that is more valuable than money, and that's freedom of speech. They have an uncanny way of finding the real news before it's twisted and spun into some melodramtic tale on the 7 o'clock news. In this way they are like journalists because they have their sources, anonymous people who trust these bloggers to publish the dirt, knowing their identies are safe for yet another day. At the same time they aren't journalists because they aren't tied down by rules. Face it. We bloggers can write about anything. It's our own integrity that keeps us from going too far.
Apple's case could stiffle all of this. They're angry some of their secrets were revealed, well go after the people who revealed it to the blogging sites, not the bloggers. If this were a celebrity situation no one would bat an eyelash. If the information had been printed in a print magazine the circumstances would be different. Bloggers stand to lose their ability to publish freely if this isn't stopped.
Apple 1 Bloggers 0
