When worlds collide: journalism and blogging in the 21st century

The Dome has a post today that opens a new and important conversation about the interplay of blogging, journalism, liability and risk. I don't expect there to be any immediate answers, but there's no doubt these issues will escalate over time. As more and more content finds its way into the blogosphere, the lines between what works and what doesn't will be hard to define. Between all the open-source content available, as well as the never-ending cross-posting and linking of images, stories, video, etc., the lines are blurring as never before.

In any case, here's the opening salvo.

Thanks to the efforts of the N.C. Press Association, our inestimable attorneys and the willingness of a few big papers and TV stations to bankroll legal fights, our state has few bad precedents in state courts for the kinds of judgements that make journalism difficult. Blogging could change all that. As the saying goes, everyone's a journalist now, but not everyone has the same financial and institutional backing as a daily newspaper reporter.

That could hurt bloggers who get sued, but it could also hurt everyone else who wants to be a journalist (including Dome). A single poorly fought lawsuit can result in a judgement that is wielded against everyone else and eventually becomes precedent.

I predict it's all going to be a gigantic mess, especially when offended parties attempt to claim damages for something written in a tiny corner of the blogosphere. Also, the line between who's a public figure and who's not will also blur. Do you suddenly become a public figure just because you write a ton of posts on a blog? Or do you have to write two tons?

Like I said, there won't be answers anytime soon, but we should still keep track of the questions.