The Society of Professional Journalists filed an amicus brief in support of Shellee Hale, a blogger told that she wasn’t granted the same source protection rights as a journalist.
A New Jersey appeals court agreed with a lower court decision that Hale is not a journalist. She was sued by New Jersey company Too Much Media for defamation after she commented in online forums on porn industry website Oprano.com.
However, as the SPJ explained in a press release published on Editor & Publisher, the brief, filed by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, “does not support Hale’s claim to qualify as a journalist under the shield law. Rather, it seeks to ensure that the court does not improperly narrow the definition of a journalist under the statute.”
See iMediaEthics other reporting on Hale’s case here, including our May interview with Hale.