Bloggers and the material we blog about span a wide variety of subject matter. The spectrum is as vast as the universe itself. Blogs can be anything and everything the author wants them to be. Occasionally, the material can lean toward some pretty sensitive and controversial subject matter.
Michael Arrington of TechCrunch published a stinging post a few days ago about two bloggers who were visited by TSA agents and threatened with jail time if they did not reveal their source of the TSA Travel Directive that they each published shortly after the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas day.
One of the bloggers panicked and handed over his entire computer while the other stood his ground and refused to reveal his source. Since the Department of Homeland Security has dropped the subpoenas.
The whole thing started those old cerebral wheels of mine spinning. The honest truth is I really don't know what I would have done in the same situation. The William Wallace in me says I would have stood my ground and told 'em where to bite me. But the Beetle Bailey in me says I would have squealed like a stuck pig!
It's a tough question and an even tougher set of circumstances to be faced with which brings up the point I've been trying to get to since I started typing this post.
Do we have rights as bloggers? Does freedom of speech apply to us lowly "basement bloggers" - a term I wear with honor (even if it was made famous by a woman who insanely believes seeing Russia from her house gives her foreign policy experience).
Most conscientious bloggers attempt to protect themselves with the routine "disclaimers" we display conspicuously. But just how far does that really go?
Blogging is viewed by many as a form of journalism. There are journalist who blog. Why can't the law protect both the journalist and the private citizen?
A few quacks offer the argument that journalist are professionals - educated and accredited in their trade. To them I would ask, what am I? Forest Gump!
Journalism is defined as the collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts - let's add the online venue to the mix and there you have the blogosphere.
I really wonder what it's going to take to establish some rights for bloggers before something happens that none of us will be at all pleased with.
