**
New post on *Fellowship of the Minds*
<http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/author/eowyn2/> Judge says blogger
can be sued for
defamation<http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/judge-says-blogger-can-be-sued-for-defamation/>by
Dr. Eowyn <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/author/eowyn2/>
<http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/censorship.jpg>Bloggers
beware!
A ruling by a federal judge in Oregon should send chills down your spine if
you're a blogger.
Crystal L. Cox, a blogger from Eureka, Mont., was sued for defamation by
attorney Kevin Padrick when she posted online that he was a thug and a
thief during the handling of bankruptcy proceedings by him and Obsidian
Finance Group LLC.
Padrick, of Bend, Ore., was a trustee in a bankruptcy case involving Summit
Accommodators, a company that helped property owners conduct real estate
transactions in a way to limit taxes. Three executives face federal fraud
and money laundering indictments.
Cox said she considered herself a journalist, producing more than 400 blogs
over the past five years, with a proprietary technique to get her postings
on the top of search engines where they get the most notice.
But last Wednesday, *U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez found that as a
blogger, Cox was not a journalist and cannot claim the protections afforded
to mainstream reporters and news outlets.*
Media experts said that the ruling would have little effect on the
definition of journalism, but it does cast a shadow on those who work in
nontraditional media since it highlights the lack of case law that could
protect them and the fact that current state shield laws for journalists
are not covering recent developments in online media.
[Source: Jeff Barnard, "Federal judge: Montana blogger is not journalist,"
<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BLOGGER_DEFAMATION_SUIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-07-20-39-18>Associated
Press, Dec. 7, 2011.]
<http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/hernandez.jpg>
Federal judge Marco Hernandez
Federal district court judge, 54-year-old Marco A.
Hernandez,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Hernandez>was first
nominated to the federal bench by George W. Bush, and
successfully nominated by Barack Obama. The Senate unanimously confirmed
him in February 2011. Here is his contact
info<http://www.ord.uscourts.gov/en/judge-hernandez/honorable-judge-marco-a-hernandez>
.:
1427 United States Courthouse
1000 Southwest Third Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204-2944
(503) 326-8210
H/t my best bud Steve.
*~Eowyn*
*Dr. Eowyn <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/author/eowyn2/>* |
December 8, 2011 at 6:22 am | Tags: civil
liberties<http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?tag=civil-liberties>,
Crystal Cox <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?tag=crystal-cox>,
journailist <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?tag=journailist>, Kevin
Padrick <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?tag=kevin-padrick>, Marco
Hernandez <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?tag=marco-hernandez> |
Categories: Constitution <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?cat=29050>,
Liberals <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?cat=35711271>,
Media<http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?cat=292>,
United States <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?cat=5850>, US
Presidents <http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/?cat=51656283> | URL:
http://wp.me/pKuKY-b43
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