David Newquist provides a very interesting perspective on my post about how proposals for a federal shield law might apply to bloggers. Here’s an excerpt with which I fully agree but which also is not only a small slice of David’s analysis:
However, most blogs are not written to provide reliable information. They are written to express opinions. Very few blogs develop those opinions from the careful gathering and verifying of information. Rather, information is generally fabricated and filtered to fit preheld opinions. Very few blogs rise to the level of contributing to fact-based discourse. However, many blog writers suffer delusions of competence and relevance, and proceed under the assumption that their expressions of inflated ego should somehow matter to anyone but themselves.
David’s post is definitely worth the time. I will also have a post in the not too distant future about firsthand thoughts on recent journalism in South Dakota.
To be sure, the blogosphere is subject to all of the same risks as the Internet itself. Many blogs are loaded with vanity posts, half-truths, rumors, and even intentional distortions.
SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, July 14, 2007
