Didn't we know that already? In the latest edition of WebPro News, there is a story about how the House has decided that bloggers do not count as journalists and can therefore be forced to disclose the source of their information if something they have written on their blog is ever called into question.
As you well know, I don't consider some "journalists" to be worthy of being called journalists. At least not the fear-mongering media mouthpieces that I see anyway. And I never really thought that bloggers considered themselves to be "journalists," hell, we're alot better than that. :)
According to WebPro News, both the House and Senate agreed that journalism entails:
"the regular gathering, preparing, collecting, photography, 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."
Unfortunately, the House chose to add the following language to their definition:
"for a substantial portion of the person's livelihood or for substantial financial gain and includes a supervisor, employer, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of such covered person."
What this really means is that unless you are operating under a larger umbrella, you can expect to be strong-armed by the government should you say anything suspect on your blog. At least, that's what I got from it.
Share your thoughts about this topic. Everyone knows we get our best information from our bloggers, so what do you all think about this latest development?
Until next time...
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Saturday, February 28, 2009
Bloggers aren't journalists...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Benston Blogs Lightens Up
You may have noticed that the atmosphere over here is a little "lighter." I decided it was time to ditch the dark background and opt for a more upbeat theme. I hope that you will like the changes.
There will also be changes in the type of content I write here. Since I pretty much write about whatever is on my mind, you may have noticed that I cover lots of topics in a given month. That was getting to be a little tiresome, so I'm going to try and hone down my range of topics so that it all begins to make a little more sense. Just one more thing I want to do for my readers. ;)
In addition to news about my mystery series, I'll be including some tidbits about my experiences with writing and how I've tried to overcome some of the obstacles that writers encounter. That's really the point of the blog, isn't it?
Until next time...
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Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Joy of Writer's Block...
Although I don't necessarily believe in this phenomenon, I am experiencing something that resembles writer's block. I've been stuck in the middle of my book for what seems like years, though it's really only been a few weeks. I've deleted chapters and started over at least three times. I've come up with so many other ideas in the meantime that I'm simply overwhelmed by the sheer potential of what is being held hostage in my cluttered mind. I have no idea why...well, that's not entirely true. I just can't say why right now. I have no idea how long this will last, but being a deadline oriented person, I can tell you that it's driving me a little nuts.
I've heard that writing something every day is the key to being successful. You don't necessarily need to publish something every time you write, it's the act of engaging in the creative process that helps keep you going. I guess I could try this...it has worked in the past. Or I could take a long break and then jump back into the deep end. Either way, I've been trying to take some time to explore other author blogs and see what's happening outside my little bubble. I'm motivated by the realization that I'm not the only one going through this.
The mini-mysteries have been a great way for me to exercise my brain. I really enjoy writing short stories and I've had these ideas on a list for a while now. I'm getting great guesses from readers and to tell you the truth, some of you have come up with much better endings than I did. At the end of the contest, I might compile them and share the alternate endings with you just for fun. We'll see.
For now, I've got my laptop up and running and I'm prepared to spend the evening writing and watching HGTV. Mini-mystery number three just might have something to do with home repair...or not. You never know where my motivation will come from. It's a thrill a minute here at the Benston house. Such is the life of a struggling author.
Until next time...
A Little Bit of Mystery: Short Mysteries to Confuse and Amuse
