Bloggers

A North Carolina judge has ordered an online-news editor to produce the names of six anonymous posters who allegedly posted defamatory comments on his website, although one of them identified himself this morning on a local AM radio station.

Speakers at a Congressional panel on Tuesday about "Bloggers Behind Bars" stressed the need for the international community to protect press freedom abroad as more and more online journalists face harassment, violence and jail.

A New Jersey appeals court on Thursday affirmed a lower court's ruling that said a libel defendant could not use the reporter's shield law because not all bloggers are journalists, and the defendant was not engaged in journalism.

The plaintiff, Too Much Media, sued Shellee Hale in New Jersey after she posted comments stating that the company, which works with websites in the adult entertainment industry, was profiting from a security breach in its program.

New York City and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a new policy that would allow online journalists and bloggers to more easily obtain a press credential, The New York Observer reported.

The Department of Justice earlier this year served and shortly thereafter withdrew a grand jury subpoena that sought information about all visitors to the journalism website Indymedia.us for one day, and also contained a gag order "not to disclose the existence of [the] request," CBSNews.com reports.

A California trial court judge last week declined to order a blogger to reveal the identities of anonymous commenters that were discussing an employment discrimination lawsuit, but left open the possibility of an exception, the Sacramento Bee reported.

A New Jersey judge ruled last week that a blogger does not qualify for protection under the state's shield law.

Connecticut police have had a New Jersey blogger and Internet radio host arrested and jailed in response to politically extreme statements he posted about two Connecticut officials. 

A Texas blogger accused in a defamation and conspiracy lawsuit was jailed over Memorial Day weekend for contempt of court after failing to turn over a computer that she claims was stolen from her home, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Police in Phoenix searched and confiscated items from the home of a blogger who runs a Web site that is critical of the police department.

According to blogger Jeff Pataky, who runs the site BadPhoenixCops.com, the police confiscated his laptop, wireless router, and paper files including tax documents and bills, when they searched his home in mid-March. Those items have not been returned. Pataky said the officers had a search warrant.