Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Shielding Whom?
Here is another article calling for a Federal shield law to protect reporters from prosecution. What the article fails to confront, as so many do, is who should be protected? Should I as a PR blogger get the same protection as a working reporter at The New York Times? If not, why not? Why should there be a protected class under the First Amendment and a class exposed to the courts?
As PR practitioners, we ask clients to indemnify us against damages resulting from representing them, but that doesn't protect us from libel or lying or from breaches of confidentiality. Moreover, based on what we are doing, we can claim as much service to the public interest as reporters do.
What mainstream media want in terms of protection is noble but fraught with problems. We live in a new era, unfortunately, and we need to adapt to it.
As PR practitioners, we ask clients to indemnify us against damages resulting from representing them, but that doesn't protect us from libel or lying or from breaches of confidentiality. Moreover, based on what we are doing, we can claim as much service to the public interest as reporters do.
What mainstream media want in terms of protection is noble but fraught with problems. We live in a new era, unfortunately, and we need to adapt to it.
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