Chiefie's bonanza?

Are bloggers journalists?

Another question might be, since so many "journalists" have taken to blogging, are they still considered journalists protected by the "shield" laws?

A $2.5 Million Libel Judgment Brings the Question: Are Bloggers Journalists?

The excerpt:

‘Bloggers Beware’

That was the headline on a conservative blog following a $2.5 million judgment this month against blogger Crystal Cox in a defamation case tried in federal court in Oregon. It’s a case followed closely in both the blogosphere and in the traditional media, as it highlights the proliferation of blogging, the blurring of lines between journalists and bloggers and more libel cases born out of blog posts.

“There are a lot of malicious people out there,” says Bruce Johnson, a Seattle attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine and author of Washington state’s current Shield Law. “You’re not going to be able to get rid of them all. They will continue to basically write graffiti on the bathroom wall, and in this case, the Internet provides the bathroom wall,” says Johnson.

On a much more local note…

DessoyE-gate"

The excerpt:

Conclusion After carefully reviewing all of the material, it is my strong opinion that the following are true:

1) The Chief has had an adulterous affair with Catherine Meehan
2) The Chief drinks alcoholically (Word is you can't call him after 9 pm)
3) The Chief has been an adulterer and a serial cheater much of his life.
3) The Chief has been applying a "ring of protection" around Catherine's drug house
4) The Mayor has refused to respond to complaints made about this house.
5) Chief Dessoye has been using Catherine Meehan as his drug source (likely opiates/heroin).

Yikes!

Good luck with that.

Later