How do you say who is professional and who isn't?
I have a weekly column in a newspaper with circulation of 55,000 and get paid (a pittance) for some of my articles. I can claim to be a journalist. But the truth is, I'm a lawyer who writes articles -- I'm not a journalist.
The bigger concern though it why distinguish journalists and bloggers? Is there some legal distinction to be made? If so that's a problem. Free expression is just as much a right of bloggers as of major media journalists.
4 comments:
Why is Quebec so often singled out for unfair criticism? The British Columbia Supreme Court only allows accredited journalists to record proceedings in that court. And it is the court that accredits the journalists. And besides, Quebec hasn't even said how it intends on distinguishing journalists, other than that it will not be done by the government but rather by the journalists themselves. I believe the journalist association in Quebec has even endorsed this. Yet everyone is opposed to this without even having seen what will be done, and ignoring how others do it as well. I wouldn't have expected you to also join in this Quebec bashing.
Having accredited journalists with special powers from the State is a scary idea, no matter in what province or country.
Nobody should be granted a monopoly on reporting the truth. Laws relating to actions that are often taken by journalists are okay, but there should be no reference to a special, privileged, journalist class.
Re: BC, they should probably look at specific actions related to being an "accredited" journalist, and write laws/regulations for those. For example if the idea is to keep out nuisance-causing bloggers that call themselves journalists, then kick them out for causing a nuisance. If the concern is "journalists" publishing things that are under a gag order, then be upfront with the severe penalties a violation would result in, and make sure to prosecute.
There is a difference between saying 'accredited' journalists can attend a presser and making a definition of who is a journalist and who isn't. Accredited is merely a sort of speed pass and doesn't consider the 'quality' of work. Quebec actually wants standards before you can be seen to be a journalist. And standards are good but not when set by the government. This really isn't a left/right issue -- it's a liberty issue.
J M, isn't this type of "control" exactly what people all over the world are currently dying to eliminate; for the right of "free speech"? Brutal dictatorships are toppling like dominoes and we here in the bosom of democracy are eliminating our rights including those of free speech. While I can appreciate that free speech does not include threats of personal harm etc. I feel it is n affront to the countless men and women who valiantly laid down their lives so that we could have the type of freedoms that inspire those in oppressed nations to oust their dictators. This type of "new" restriction is a tremendous step backward in the human evolution and in particular that of Western Democracies, legal or not this type of control is wrong!
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