Who’s a journalist?

[Valin]

NY Post:

Dont let Uncle Sam decide

GLENN HARLAN REYNOLDS

7/8/13

 

Sen. Dick Durbin thinks its time for Congress to decide whos a real reporter. In The Chicago Sun-Times last week, he wrote: Everyone, regardless of the mode of expression, has a constitutionally protected right to free speech. But when it comes to freedom of the press, I believe we must define a journalist and the constitutional and statutory protections those journalists should receive.

 

How do you decide who is a journalist? Essentially, he says, its someone who gets a paycheck from a media organization: A journalist gathers information for a media outlet that disseminates the information through a broadly defined medium including newspaper, nonfiction book, wire service, magazine, news Web site, television, radio or motion picture for public use. This broad definition covers every form of legitimate journalism.

 

Does it really? Everyform?

 

Because, as I write this, most of the information Im getting from Egypt is being tweeted and blogged by Egyptians and American expats in Egypt. The media organizations are usually hours behind.

 

(Snip)