Some lawmaker down in the United Staes is proposing to put into law that bloggers are not journalists. The guy, whose name I don't recall, is kind of stuck in a slice of time. I bet a hundred years ago, he'd have proposed that automobiles are not forms of transportation, because they don't fit the mould of carriages drawn by horses.
Anyhow, I got asked the hypothetical question of how the law, if enacted, would affect me and my Weblogs. I replied, "It wouldn't; I'm Canadian."
The questioner pushed further: "What if Autodesk is instructed [by the US government] to not allow you in to press events cos you aren't press?"
That's not something I worry about, because:
a. I can always read press releases and reports from others.
b. CAD giants Dassault and UGS have never have invited me to press events, so being blocked is already normal for me.
c. My several Weblogs are just another outlet for my drive to write. (upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. also publishes two e-newsletters, whitepapers, and a growing library of technical books.)
Blocking bloggers reminds me of the early days of journalism through ezines and Web sites. Events like CEBIT didn't recognize them as true journalists, because anyone could pretend to be an editor at little cost to themselves. After a while, things sorted out, and significant ezines and Web sites became recognized.
Same is happening with blogs, and whatever new forms of journalism appear (cell phone videos, for example). After a while, leaders emerge and are recognized, while the rabble disappears into the desert of "Last Updated 31 Dec 2001" notices.
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