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We're All Journalists Now
Scott Gant
The Transformation of the Press and Reshaping of the Law in the Internet Age
Free Press
June 2007
On Sale: June 12, 2007
256 pages
ISBN: 0743299264
EAN: 9780743299268
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
As the internet continues to reshape almost all corners of
our world, no institution has been more profoundly altered
than the practice of journalism and distribution of
information. In this provocative new book, Scott Gant, a
distinguished Washington attorney and constitutional law
scholar, argues that we as a society need to rethink our
notions of what journalism is, who is a journalist and
exactly what the founding fathers intended when they
referred to "the freedom of the press." Are bloggers journalists, even if they receive no income?
Even if they are unedited and sometimes irresponsible? Many
traditional news organizations would say no. But Gant
contends otherwise and suggests we think of these sometimes
unruly online purveyors of information and opinion as heirs
to those early pamphleteers who helped shape our fledgling
democracy. He gives us a persuasive and engaging argument
for affording bloggers and everyone else who disseminates
information and opinion in the U.S. the same rights and
privileges that traditional journalists enjoy. The rise of the Internet and blogosphere has blurred the
once distinct role of the media in our society. It wasn't
long ago that the line between journalists and the rest of
us seemed relatively clear: Those who worked for news
organizations were journalists and everyone else was not.
Those days are gone. On the Internet, the line has totally
disappeared. It's harder than ever to answer the question,
"Who is a journalist?" Yet it is a question asked routinely
in American courtrooms and legislatures because there are
many circumstances where those deemed "journalists" are
afforded rights and privileges not available to the rest of
us. The question will become increasingly important as the
transformation of journalism continues, and bloggers and
other "citizen journalists" battle for equal standing with
professional journalists. Advancing arguments that are sure
to stir controversy, Scott Gant leads the debate with a
serious yet accessible discussion about whether, where, and
how the government can decide who is a journalist.
Challenging the mainstream media, Gant puts forth specific
arguments about how to change existing laws and makes
elegant suggestions for new laws that will properly account
for the undeniable reality that We're All Journalists Now.
For all of us who care about the ways in which the digital
revolution is sweeping through our culture, this is a work
of opinion that will be seen as required reading.
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