Thursday, December 27, 2007

I Can So Say That!

Came across a site today that I thought some fellow bloggers might be interested in. To be perused in some of that oh-so-abundant spare time we all have .... yeah, right!

Anyway, its the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Legal Guide for Bloggers.

Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don't want published. You might, for example, publish something that someone considers defamatory, republish an AP news story that's under copyright, or write a lengthy piece detailing the alleged crimes of a candidate for public office.

The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.

But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom.

Check it out if you're so-inclined.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sounds like a catchy quasi 22situation. Either you are entitled to say what you think or believe in or you are not. So why would anybody sue ? Hmmm I guess if your opinion is expressed as fact yet you cannot prove it then you could be sued for libel... Sigh ... hate the legal mumbojumbo and am usually scared silly of the small print.
But it was an interesting read :)

Michelle Morgan-Coole said...

Then you did better than me ... you actually read it! Shhh.... our secret ;-)