Because the Idaho decisions have involved traditional journalists, engaged in reporting for newspapers or television, it is clear that the reporter’s privilege – to whatever extent it exists under Idaho law – applies to the activities of traditional news gatherers.
In Jacobsen v. Doe, 2012 WL 2946753 (Idaho Dist. Ct. July 10, 2012), a state trial court judge rejected the argument that Idaho’s reporter’s privilege applied to information disclosing the identities, email addresses and IP addresses of bloggers. The court held that the individual who administered and facilitated the Blog at issue – and was the subject of the subpoena – was not “acting as a reporter who was gathering newsworthy information at the time the statements were made, but instead acted as a facilitator or administrator of the Blog.” Thus, the reporter’s privilege did not apply.