The American Civil Liberties Union refuted The Washington Post’s Walter Pincus who had written several columns critical of the press over the current controversy with Attorney General Holder over leak investigations. (American Civil Liberties Union, May 31, 2013, by Gabe Rottman)
Rottman argues that it is possible to define who qualifies as a journalist and that leaks serve the public’s interest and are vital in keeping the public informed.
Writing for the Digital Media Law Project, May 24, 2013, Jess Hermes argues that it should not be a question of “who is a journalist?” but rather “is this an act of journalism?” “…professional journalists now share the information ecology with a much wider array of members of the public who care about particular communities and issues. These individuals can often speak from deep personal knowledge and identify important information that others might miss. And from the Rodney King incident forward, there has been recognition that sometimes informing the public is not about education and professional commitment, but about being in the right place at the right time,” writes Hermes. -db