They Sure Get JAILED Like Journalists!

Are bloggers journalists? The truth, of course, is that some can probably claim that distinction (curse?), but many are clearly not. What is indisputable is that in more and more cases bloggers are claiming to be journalists, but be careful what you wish for. California blogger Josh Wolf, 24, has just been ordered to jail after refusing to hand over to a judge video he took at an anticapitalist protest in San Francisco. Wolf also refused to testify before a grand jury about crimes he may have witnessed at the protest. He claimed he had a right as a journalist to protect his sources, but the judge ruled the grand jury "has a legitimate need" to see what Wolf recorded. Observers point out that, even if there were a so-called "shield law" at the federal level allowing journalists to protect their sources, it is not settled whether bloggers would be considered journalists under that law. One more question for our courts to sort out. Meanwhile, Wolf's attorney says his client could potentially be imprisoned until next summer, when the term of the grand jury expires.