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    Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?

    Raise the curtain.

    And Those Other Things


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Wed Sep 18, 2013 at 09:37:44 AM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Bloggers, Reporters, Accreditation, Licensing, Feinstein, Journalists, Fake Tea Party, Drudge, Bruce Patterson, Ellen Cogen Lipton, Control Of Information (all tags)

    Truthfully, there are too many topics on which to opine or report these days.

    Perhaps it is by design.

    One thing of particular interest to bloggers and out-of-mainstream writers is the legislative effort to curb access to information and the ability to report by 'just anyone'.  It had popped up a couple of years ago when a Michigan legislator, State senator Bruce Patterson (perhaps twirling his handlebar mustache a little too tight) had the idea of 'licensing journalists'.

    "Introduced by Sen. Bruce Patterson (R) on May 11, 2010, to create a government "Board of Michigan Registered Reporters" to pass on the qualifications under criteria established in the bill for an individual who seeks to use the title "Michigan Registered Reporter." An individual who writes or creates news stories, commentaries or editorials for a newspaper, online news outlet or radio or TV broadcaster, and who wants to use this title, would have to pay a $10 fee, and have either a journalism degree, at least three years experience as a reporter, submit writing samples, present evidence of awards or recognitions, present a letter of recognition from a reporter who is "registered," etc."
    A very strange thing to even ponder, much less propose as law.

    In fairness, it should be noted he was 'cool' with non credentialed types using the title 'reporter'.

    However, other efforts to control information are still surfacing as Michigan legislators are attempting to limit the flow of information to the public in a way that allows only CERTAIN reporters access to public records. :

    "The bill considers a journalist to be "an employee of a radio or television station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission" or "an employee of a newspaper."
    Bloggers need not apply.

    If it were only these efforts?

    Continued below

    Unfortunately, the regular defacers of the constitution also have their efforts planned to stifle access to public records and other public events as well.

    The US Senate judiciary committee has proposed a 'caste' system of journalists.  This would classify certain writers as able to use special privilege other writers cannot. Senator Feinstein on punk bloggers:

    " "I can't support it if everyone who has a blog has a special privilege ... or if Edward Snowden were to sit down and write this stuff, he would have a privilege. I'm not going to go there," she said.

    Feinstein introduced an amendment that defines a "covered journalist" as someone who gathers and reports news for "an entity or service that disseminates news and information." The definition includes freelancers, part-timers and student journalists, and it permits a judge to go further and extend the protections to any "legitimate news-gathering activities."  "

    Because equal access is not conducive to controlling propaganda information flow to the masses.

    In response, Matt Drudge, who relies on multiple sources of reporting has issued a series of tweets to a quarter of a million followers:

    "Federal judge once ruled Drudge 'is not a reporter, a journalist, or a newsgatherer.' Millions of readers a day come for cooking recipes??!"

    "Comments from Sen. Feinstein yesterday on who's a reporter were disgusting. 17-year old 'blogger' is as important as Wolf Blitzer. Fascist!"

    "Gov't declaring who qualifies for freedom of press in digital age is ridiculous! It belongs to anyone for any reason. No amendment necessary"

    He is right.

    The reality of today's information highway is that there are many travelers.  Michigan might have been a state with a different SoS had vigilant bloggers not found records implicating progressive plans, and eventually an Oakland county operative in a fraudulent fake political party scheme in 2010.  In fact, several key legislative seats might have gone to different candidates in the general had the ruse not been identified by a 'non-professional'.

    Access to the information necessary to identify such shenanigans would be at risk if we ever were to go down this road of licensing or 'accreditation' of investigative reporters.  Without full and complete access by all, our citizen run government is forever at risk of being in control of those who would deny us oversight.

    And the bad guys know it.

    < The Clock | Wednesdays Divertere: Just so-so to the Last Drop >


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    Display: Sort:
    Gotta love Lansing (none / 0) (#1)
    by Corinthian Scales on Wed Sep 18, 2013 at 12:15:08 PM EST
    Yet another bifarceisan scheme cooked up with a price tag.

    1A for sale! ...with all the views the corporate news complex sees fit to choose.

    P!ss on Lansing and Dianne Feinswine.

    It's even worse than that. (none / 0) (#2)
    by KG One on Wed Sep 18, 2013 at 09:14:07 PM EST
    They want us to emulate "experts" like these people?

    Or maybe these people?

    How about them?

    Gosh! This isn't boding very well for the experts now, is it?

    Sheesh (none / 0) (#3)
    by Rougman on Wed Sep 18, 2013 at 10:34:23 PM EST
    No slippery slope here.

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