From the NY Times, are all you bloggers journalists? Or just tech junkies?
Here is a great NY
Times article on how Apple is
trying to get some leaks, well plugged. Bloggers that do 'reporting'
of facts are stating that they are covered under the rights not to disclose
their sources, and as always, free speech.
In the physical world,
being labeled a journalist may confer little prestige and may even evoke
some contempt. But being a journalist can also confer certain privileges,
like the right to keep sources confidential. And for that reason many bloggers,
a scrappy legion of online commentators and pundits, would like to be considered
reporters, too.
If the court, in Santa Clara County,
rules that bloggers are journalists, the privilege of keeping news sources
confidential will be applied to a large new group of people, perhaps to
the point that it may be hard for courts in the future to countenance its
extension to anyone.
So as I look at Ed's site, well he reports
on what is in the market already, and what he can about the moves IBM makes.
An insiders perspective, yes. A leak of what goes on? No. He
follows some very fine lines of what to blog and not blog. So well,
in fact, that many IBM'ers probably look to his site for information and
others to make sure it always stays clean.
As you see on mine, while I may mention
issues we face, I never mention a customer (they might read it and know
it is them without fear of being named), nor have I ever listed and employee
name here, even in the highest regards. Why? Because I think that
even though I report sometimes, being sensitive to those that do not blog,
or want to be shown anywhere, is a reason to respect that. I have
even had site searches on my blog looking for mention of people that work
here.
So back the main point. Where do
we lie in the big picture as technical bloggers? Do we ever report
on issues, such as the article mentions, about private information? Even
those of us on the private beta programs get itchy when thinking of writing
something that might be deemed as nondisclosure.
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On Monday, March 7th, 2005 by Chris Miller
