A New Jersey appeals court says a lower court ruled right when it decided a libel defendant could not use the reporter's shield law because not all bloggers are journalists, and the defendant was not engaged in journalism.
Too Much Media sued Shellee Hale after she posted comments stating that the company, which works with websites in the adult entertainment industry, was profiting from a security breach in its program. Although Hale kept a blog, the court said she was not engaged in newsgathering at the time she made the postings and therefore not protected by the shield law. The court's opinion said "New media should not be confused with news media. There is a distinction between personal diaries, opinions, impressions and expressive writing and news reporting.
Read more at the Reporters Committee.
