[LINK] Journalism

[rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au]

I think that in the US, Craig, the right to keep a source secret has 
been successfully defended in the courts. And if Vic's right, that a 
blogger is not a journalist, I don't necessarily think it's a Bad Thing 
(and these days, I make my money other ways and do journalism for fun...).

(Well, okay. Fun >and< ego. Vanity thy name is hack...)

RC

Craig Sanders wrote:

>On Tue, Mar 08, 2005 at 07:29:21PM +1100, Stephen Loosley wrote:
>  
>
>>NEWS ANALYSIS
>>By JONATHAN GLATER Published: March 7, 2005 
>><http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/07/technology/07blog.html?th>
>>
>>... being a journalist can confer certain privileges, like the right to
>>keep sources confidential. And for that reason many bloggers, a scrappy
>>legion of online commentators and pundits, would like to be considered
>>reporters, too.
>>    
>>
>
>huh?  since when have jornalists had that as a *right*?
>
>they've got a duty to keep sources confidential and many have, over the years,
>had the guts to go to gaol for contempt of court for refusing to name their
>sources.
>
>they often get some leniency or de-facto acceptance of this duty/priviledge,
>but any court can order them to reveal sources - and occasionally one will
>attempt to do so.  when that happens, it is only the strength & integrity of
>the journalist that maintains confidentiality regardless of the personal cost,
>not any legal right.
>
>maybe they should have confidentiality as a right (similar to doctors or
>priests), but at the moment they don't.
>
>craig
>
>  
>