Morgan Weiland

Senate’s Broadened Definition of Journalist Is an Improvement, but Still Not Enough

Reporter's Privilege • Article

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s amended federal shield law bill passed today by a 13-5 vote, and importantly included Sen. Feinstein’s (D-CA) new amendment broadening the definition of who qualifies as a journalist. But as her condescending remarks about the purpose behind her amendment reveal—that it is intended to ensure that …

Congress' Dangerous Attempts to Define “Journalist” in Shield Law Threaten to Exclude Bloggers

Reporter's Privilege • Article

This has been cross-posted from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Lawmakers in Washington are again weighing in on who should and should not qualify as a journalist—and the outcome looks pretty grim for bloggers, freelancers, and other non-salaried journalists. On July 12, the Justice Department released its new guidelines on …