With Harvard's Help, Congress May Keep Bloggers Out of Jail

It's hard out here for a blogger.

And hard for online journalists, unemployed new media producers, and just about anyone else dabbling in journalism without professional backing.

Beyond the basic financial challenges, there is scant legal help for members of the new media, even though they face the same complex, pricey legal threats as traditional media. Plus extra threats -- like government attempts to out anonymous bloggers, which can cost a lot to fight in court.

On Thursday, however, it just got a little easier out here for a blogger. (h/t Jon Stewart.) The smart folks at Harvard's Citizen Media Law Project are launching a program of free legal services for online and citizen media. And I'm taking the liberty of substituting the word "free" for pro bono in their announcement -- us lawyers have trouble kicking the Latin:

We are [launching the] Online Media Legal Network (OMLN), a new [free] initiative that connects lawyers and law school clinics from across the country with online journalists and digital media creators who need legal help. Lawyers participating in OMLN will provide qualifying online publishers with [free] and reduced fee legal assistance on a broad range of legal issues, including business formation and governance, copyright licensing and fair use, employment and freelancer agreements, access to government information, pre-publication review of content, and representation in litigation.

New media experts immediately applauded the move. NYU professor Jay Rosen said he supports the program because it is "trying to level the playing field for independent online producers."

The program launches just as Congress is on the verge of strengthening reporting protections not only for traditional journalists, but for bloggers as well.

A new draft shield law, supported by President Obama, would scuttle government subpoenas against unpaid bloggers in instances when the forced disclosure of a source was outweighed by the public interest. The law would benefit professional journalists and amateur bloggers. Of course, it helps to have a lawyer around to enforce those rights.

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With research by Shakthi Jothianandan.

Comments (14)

1. Bloggers help the people to know the truths.

   Posted by Dastu11 at 11/19/2009 @ 11:03am

2. good cause!!!

   about the only thing that kept us from sliding into some kind of nightmarish obverse democratic fascism when those wicked satano-aynrandos had almost complete control over the media was...

   THIS! the internet, the only place one could hope to find a few grains of truth and galling dissent.

   of course the same rotten hypocritical fascists want to take this, want to harass people who's voices threaten their wickedness, for whom a little anonymity is their ONLY protection from hungry, bloated wolves...

   GOOD CAUSE!!!

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 11/19/2009 @ 11:03am

3. this blog by Ari is a Yawnerrrrrrrrrrr!

   just more leftist nonsense worries.

   Posted by antisocialist at 11/19/2009 @ 1:16pm

4. Larry set the stage. Since they can't come straight out and oppose this (hotair.com, Red State, Town Hall, etc. right-wing blogs would support it), we'll see the following from our right-wing bloggers-

   1. "ZZZZZZZZZ...who cares?"

   2. Subject Change.

   3. Maybe one or two defending it, but still finding someway to be catty or smirky.

   BTW, personally, I want everybody on the Blogosphere protected just like we did with the "Old Journalism"....since this is where it's heading.

   Posted by Mask at 11/19/2009 @ 1:46pm

5. ari should have thrown in some more specific, concrete examples, i thought, some red meat for us to fight over...

   update, ari?

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 11/19/2009 @ 2:11pm

6. This is amazing. How can I apply to qualify??

   Posted by DimitraEkmektsis at 11/19/2009 @ 2:56pm

7. A double edged sword to be sure.

   Posted by gunslinger1 at 11/19/2009 @ 3:16pm

8. This sounds like a much needed program and a good start.

   These days the corporate media has a stranglehold on a free and open press. The internet is currently the only way to get at the truth. And the fascists are always looking for new ways to stem the flow of information and dissenting opinion.

   Cudo's for the establishment of the OMLN.

   Posted by chaoszen at 11/20/2009 @ 07:55am

9. some red meat for us to fight over... Posted by ibbleblibble at 11/19/2009 @ 2:11pm

   Whenever there is red meat meat to fight over, the jackals that troll here always end up with the scraps. They nip and howl, but they always end up waiting for the lions to feed.

   Posted by chaoszen at 11/20/2009 @ 08:27am

10. Also I think Cudos should be spelled with a "K".. I'm not sure.

    Posted by chaoszen at 11/20/2009 @ 08:33am

11. Yup, I checked. kudos comes from the greek kydos. I learn something new everyday.

    Posted by chaoszen at 11/20/2009 @ 08:37am

12. Not to get to egotistical, but...

    Did I scare off any right-wing posters by predicting what they would do????

    heheh

    Posted by Mask at 11/20/2009 @ 12:54pm

13. just more leftist nonsense worries.

    Posted by antisocialist at 11/19/2009 @ 1:16pm

    Wasn't it the RIGHT some years back talking about how wonderful it was that bloggers dissected the Dan Rather CBS forgery scandal? Shouldn't those bloggers have protection?

    Posted by Mistral at 11/20/2009 @ 3:43pm

14. We get to do it for free here,some friendly right wingers charge to blog at "their" sites.

    Posted by whatozz at 11/21/2009 @ 10:46am