Assemblywoman Rosenthal, Senator Duane Introduce Blogger Rights Bill

by: robert.harding

Wed May 20, 2009 at 16:44:10 PM EDT

The bill is S.4642/A.6078 and it would extend the same protections provided under the shield law for journalist bloggers.

In recognition of New York State's tradition of strong protections for journalists, Senator Thomas K. Duane (D, WFP Manhattan) and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D, WFP Manhattan) have recently introduced legislation (S.4642/A.6078) that would provide protection to journalist bloggers under New York's reporters' shield law.  

New York's shield law, one of the strongest in the country, prevents journalists from being compelled to disclose confidential information or sources in state court.  This new law would add journalist bloggers to the list of journalists who are protected from being charged with contempt of court for failing to disclose any news obtained in confidence or failing to provide the identity of a confidential source.

The current shield law protects professional journalists involved with newspapers, magazines, news agencies, press associations, wire services, radio and television.  The legislation also defines a web log or blog as a website or web page that contains an online journal containing news, comments and offers hyperlinks provided by the writer.

Sen. Duane said that it is time to acknowledge the place blogs have in the journalistic world.

"The media is changing, both in content, access and scope. It is important that the laws of New York State reflect the changing landscape of journalism.  Enacting this legislation will ensure that those reporters who write for a blog are given the same protections as traditional print or television journalists.  If we don't, we face a chilling effect on free speech and journalists' ability to aggressively report the news.  It is time New York's shield law reflected the reality of 2009 and acknowledges that blogs do exist."

Assemblywoman Rosenthal agreed, saying that it is time for these rights to be extended to blogs.

"New York State has one of the strongest reporters' shield laws in the country," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. "Yet, although blogs provide news to countless New Yorkers, we still do not extend the protection of the law to blogger journalists. We must remedy this by affording bloggers the same rights that we offer other journalists. I call on my colleagues in the Assembly and Senate to support this legislation and the right to free speech."

This is a great day for New York and a great day for bloggers all across the state. Such legislation is long overdue. We have earned a place among those who call themselves journalists. Bloggers, in the political world, have been treated seriously for a few years now. But in the world of journalism, the traditional media has kept blogs at arms length. That is unfortunate and also, I would argue, a reason why certain mediums like print media now find themselves with an uncertain future.

As a blogger, I take this role seriously. It isn't the most lucrative role, but I have built connections all across the state that I do not take lightly. I believe that those connections take me just as seriously, knowing that whatever they say or do could end up on this blog and knowing that I could either help or hurt them.

We do have standards in the blogosphere. But for far too long we haven't been afforded the same protections that the traditional media outlets have been used to for some time. If this legislation passes, that will change.

I hope that the Assembly and Senate passes this legislation and I hope that they would do so in a timely manner.

And if they don't, I guess I know what I can write about next.

Congratulations Are In Order

by: phillip anderson

Tue May 05, 2009 at 10:50:00 AM EDT

Not too shabby, eh?

Adirondack Almanack Turns 4

by: phillip anderson

Mon Apr 13, 2009 at 15:50:25 PM EDT

Adirondack Almanack Celebrates Four Years

Adirondack Almanack (www.adirondackalmanack.com) is celebrating its fourth year with the addition of two new contributors. Begun in the spring of 2005, the Almanack has grown to be the region's most popular online journal of news and opinion, addressing local politics and culture, history, regional development, outdoor recreation, the environment and other issues.  

Adirondack Almanack is the longest running blog about life inside the Blue Line and has become a resource for in-the-know Adirondackers and those outside the park who want to stay current on Adirondack news and events. The site attracts about 1,000 readers each day and has been growing steadily.  

Adirondack Almanack's content expanded with the February 2009 addition of two contributors who joined founder John Warren in writing daily posts.

Mary Thill lives in Saranac Lake and has worked in the Adirondacks since 1990, reporting for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Lake Placid News, Plattsburgh Press-Republican, Adirondack Explorer and Adirondack Life, where she was also an editor from 2001 to 2008.

Cartoonist and commentator Mark Wilson's editorial cartoons - under the pen name MARQUIL - appear in newspapers and online across New York State. He also provides editorial illustrations and occasional commentary for The Sunday Gazette of Schenectady. Mark is based in Saranac Lake.

John Warren of Chestertown is a writer, historian and media professional whose work has appeared in a variety of media from PBS, History Channel and Discovery to Adirondack Life, regional and local newspapers, and online. A collection of his historical essays from Adirondack Almanack will be published this summer by The History Press; John is also editor of the popular blog New York History.

In addition to original reporting, illustrations and opinion, the Almanack aggregates daily the most interesting news from around the park as well as articles from outside the Blue Line that affect life here. It's a good jumping-off place on the Web for all things Adirondack.

Look for a new redesign coming soon and more great reporting, commentary and other goodies from the AA crew.

Congrats to all of them.

Bob Guskind, RIP

by: phillip anderson

Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 11:59:02 AM EST

Rumors have been swirling around for the last 24 hours about the whereabouts of Bob Guskind, the journalist who runs Gowanus Lounge.

I found out yesterday that his immensely popular blog, which focused on real estate and development issues in Park Slope, Gowanus, Williamsburg and Coney Island, was non-operational.

Readers and fellow bloggers were concerned that their phone calls, and texts were not being returned.

This morning, Susan Fox of Park Slope Parents received an anonymous text that Bob was dead.

His death is now confirmed. A communications official at the Medical Examiners Office told me  that he died on March 4th, 2009.

This is very sad news for the Brooklyn Blog community. My condolences to his wife and loved ones.

This picture was taken at last year's Brooklyn Blogfest. I know the year of his birth because we talked about the fact that we were both born in 1958.

Though I never actually met Bob in person, I used to exchange email with him pretty often and I read his site everyday. When my old building was evacuated by the FDNY, I knew exactly who to tell first in hopes of getting the word out quickly. That was Bob and he covered the story better than anyone in the traditional media.When I started getting media inquiries about the story, they were all directed my way by Bob. The trad-med reporters all knew to go to Bob first too. When I had a question about anything Brooklyn related, he was the go to guy. When I was organizing a blogger get together with a candidate last year, he was the first person I invited.

And now he's gone.

Godspeed, friend.

RochesterTurning is back

by: Exile on Ericsson St.

Thu Dec 11, 2008 at 16:44:49 PM EST

RochesterTurning.com

They were having problems with their service provider and have found a new one.  

Disappearing Blogs?

by: robinia

Mon Dec 08, 2008 at 13:48:23 PM EST

Blog has been removed

Sorry, the blog at dangerdemocrat.blogspot.com has been removed. This address is not available for new blogs.

Then, today, I tried to read Rochester Turning and got this message:

This account has been suspended
Please contact the support department as soon as possible, and please have your site name ready.

Rochester Turning Passes Milestone, Recruits

by: phillip anderson

Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 19:49:43 PM EDT

Hey RT community!  Guess what– we’ve passed our 5000th diary!  It happened sometime late last week.  This means we’ve written an average of 6 articles per day over the last 2 years or so.  And that’s not just writing, it’s research, interviews, site maintenance and upgrades, team building, and talent recruitment.

That’s a lot of work for a bunch of part-time hacks who apparently hate America (according to Sarah Palin and the right-wing).  But we’re glad to do it if it helps make our corner of the country even a little better. But man, I’m going to drink like a pitcher of margueritas when this election is over.

Speaking of talent recruitment, we’re looking for a few good people.  RT is a team of part-time, team-oriented political junkies.  We’re movement progressives and all about getting a progressive point of view out into the local narrative.  If that sounds interesting to you, and you’d like to contribute a guest essay or two, contact us and let’s talk.  If you have writing samples that you can send us, all the better.

RT is the best local blog in the state and quite possibly the best blog in all of New York. If you've got the time and the local expertise, this is a great opportunity to get involved with a fantastic site.

Congrats, RT! A tip of the hat to ya...

Free Speech And The Internet

by: robert.harding

Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 11:23:37 AM EDT

The problem? It shouldn't be that way.

I have seen politicians (which DAs are in some places throughout New York, including my home county) try to muscle people who post on a message board on my local newspaper's website. I can recall a time where the DA expressed disgust with things posted that were critical (but true) of him online. Elected officials have done the same thing. I can't say they have ever gone that extra mile and tried to subpoena for IP addresses, but they have tried to get people to shut up.

So why is it that government feels that they can throw away the First Amendment as it relates to the Internet? What, do we not have free speech here on the Internet?

It would be another story if someone threatened the Bronx DA's life or another person's life on the Internet and tried to hide behind their anonymity. Then I could see the rationale behind it. But just being critical is not enough. If you can't stand the heat, get off the stove. That is what I have said publicly to the politicians that have complained about what I and other people have written. If you don't like being a public official and face public scrutiny, then you don't belong in politics and elected office. It's that simple.

Unfortunately, we have gone down similar roads before where "the law" has tried to push bloggers around. Remember Josh Wolf? Just go to Google and search "Blogger arrested." You will get a full list of stories on bloggers who have been arrested - about 3,900,000 results. That's not to say that 3,900,000 bloggers have been arrested, but enough bloggers have been arrested to make for 3,900,000 stories on such cases.

Free speech and freedom of the press need to be extended to the blogosphere. We cannot be limited by government just because we aren't members of the traditional media. We need to be protected too for reasons we have seen today.

New Rockland County Blog

by: phillip anderson

Thu May 22, 2008 at 23:56:28 PM EDT

A New York villager's take on civil liberties, education, health care, and politics in Nyack, Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, and beyond.

Hope you'll check it out, no matter where you are in the Empire State. Best of luck up there, Cliff!

New Blog Upstate

by: phillip anderson

Mon Jan 21, 2008 at 12:37:17 PM EST

New Blog Upstate

by: phillip anderson

Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 11:49:17 AM EST

DNC Launches Super Cool New Video Resource

by: phillip anderson

Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 12:12:00 PM EST

Today the DNC is launching an awesome and potentially very valuable new tool they are calling Flipper TV. They are archiving tons of tracker video on the Republican presidential candidates and accepting new video from activists and citizen journalists around the country. Even better, they storing them on blip.tv allowing users to easily download and edit or re-edit them. Very smart. From an emailed press release:

DNC Launches FlipperTV
New Tool Makes Raw Video Footage of Republican Frontrunners Available Online

Washington, DC - As the Republican presidential candidates prepare to finally answer questions tonight directly from the American people at the CNN/YouTube debate, the Democratic National Committee launched FlipperTV, a unique, new online video tool that is part of the DNC's ongoing efforts to hold Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and John McCain accountable for their positions and flip flops along the campaign trail.

For months now, Democrats have been tracking the Republican presidential frontrunners in the field, compiling a video library of candid moments as they campaign across the country.  Found at FlipperTV, insert link, Americans can now watch and download this video and use the footage as they wish, putting raw material into the hands of the American people to hold these candidates accountable for their comments and actions.

By crowdsourcing, the DNC is seeking to engage people by making data available for their own personal use, enabling users to sort through the video and expose the Republican frontrunners' flip-flops, contradictions, and policy positions that show how our of touch Republicans are with the American people.  FlipperTV will allow activists and voters to download video to their computers, edit it to create new user-generated video, and help catch Republicans flip-flopping and exaggerating their records.

"The idea behind FlipperTV is simple: let the American people hear directly from the Republican candidates unscripted and in their own words, and let them decide if they want four more years of Bush's failed policies or a Democrat who will bring change to the White House," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.  "This video will come directly from the campaign trail, letting voters see who they truly are, not who their campaigns want them to be."

FlipperTV already has more than 80 separate events on video and will quickly upload new footage as it happens, starting with clips from tonight's Republican CNN/YouTube debate.  Online video has played a critical role in the political process and in 2006 was essential to Democrats defeating Republicans like George Allen, Conrad Burns, and Lincoln Chaffee.  Already, candid videos have captured John McCain singing the words "bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys song "Barbara Ann" as well as Mitt Romney saying that instead of serving in the military, his sons are helping the country by campaigning for him.

This is a smart move in many ways and again shows that Democrats are using and deploying these new mediums and technologies much, much better than their GOP counterparts. I'm sure many of you have heard recently about the NRCC's user generated video contest that was to pick 5 winning videos attacking Democrats. The contest, described by Chris Bowers as a "massive bellyflop", received only 5 entries, one of which was this hilarious spoof, submitted by, um, Democrats. I'm not entirely sure it didn't go completely over the heads of the judges either...

More on the flip...

Will anonymous posting on MSM blogs get you targeted for harrassment by crooked goons?

by: robinia

Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 06:34:19 AM EDT

One of the downsides appears to be that a writer of an anonymous post might have their identity revealed to police if they say the "wrong" thing.  In this story from the Finger Lakes, a blog associated with a newspaper revealed commenters' identities to the local Sheriff when he said that he needed them "for a criminal investigation."  Actually, I guess it was so that HE (the Sheriff) could stave off a criminal investigation of the theivery of himself and some deputies.  That, it turns out, was what the commenters were blogging about. Then, he told his staff he would pay them overtime to find some technicality they could arrest the bloggers on.

Story is here.
Chilling.

New York State Blog roundup

by: Michael Bouldin

Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 08:27:09 AM EDT

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the New York State Progressive Blog Roundup. Every week, we'll be featuring news stories and highlights from blue bloggers across the state. Simple idea: it's one state, and people should know what's going on in other parts of it.

Progressive blogs who'd like to join this network should send an email to NYPBN – at – googlegroups – dot – com. And now, your roundup.

The Daily Gotham checks out Wikiscanner and finds some possibly, or probably, self-interested Wikipedia editing by the New York City Council.

A classic on The Albany Project: check out this diary about the Telecommunications Reform Act of 2007, also known as the Brodsky Bill. This legislation will

[require] the buildout of high speed broadband infrastructure to a minimum of 85% of the state, something desperately needed by under-served and economically depressed communities upstate. It would also protect net neutrality, bring cheaper cable and telephone rates through increased competition and allow New York to once again be a progressive, innovative model for other states to follow.

Rochester Turning takes a closer look at a fundamentalist church in Pittsford, and finds some disturbing messages spread, as ever, by an incompetent press.

Danger Democrat casts a baleful glance at John McHugh and some rather curious earmarks; flip-flopper McHugh was for these earmarks – he inserted them in an appropriations bill – before being against them – which he did when he voted against said bill.

DragonFlyEye has a very well-designed reader survey, well worth taking not just to help a brother out, but for other bloggers who might gain from doing such a thing themselves.

OnNYTurf provides a sneak peek at the upgrade of possibly the most useful feature of any New York City blog, its searchable Google/Subway map mashup.

NYCO draws some wider inferences from shenanigans involving a billboard and, needless to say, state funds, at the New York State fair in Syracuse.

On the lameness of the MSM blogs

by: Michael Bouldin

Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 20:12:57 PM EDT

Yes, Daily Politics, I'm looking at you. You too, Capitol Confidential. No, not you, Azi. Hi, Jay. Hi, Liz. Hi, whatshisname.

Let's recap: over the last few weeks, Daily Gotham and The Albany Project uncovered an entire sleaze campaign against Governor Spitzer being run by someone employed by Joe Bruno. Now, ordinarily, you'd think that would be a big deal - real blogs, like Open Left and Digby, certainly did.

Y'all ran stories, complete with frigging video, of a frigging barbecue hosted by a republican state senator somewhere, presumably on the mistaken impression that anyone but yourselves gives a flying fuck. We owned you on that story - owned. You, meanwhile, continued to print the lamest imaginable denials about this from people who were lying to you, whom you had to have known were lying to you.

Lameness.

Of course, this isn't new, and goes to the very heart of the general lameness of MSM blogs: most of them completely ignore actual, real blogs, preferring instead to pretend-play that they're bloggers. That's why they usually only feature content from, gasp!, other MSM - the same tired process stories that actual real people are so sick and tired of. Why is it, do you think, that "journalist" has become such a dirty word? It's not because people don't like or want carefully researched stories about their government - it's because people are tired of the steaming bullshit you and yours pass off as news. It's because people are tired of being fed the lame-ass stenography you think matters.

Ooooh, a barbecue! How awesome!

(Originally posted @ TDG)

Why I Love Rochester Turning and Why the Media Should Too

by: phillip anderson

Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 17:12:40 PM EDT

That's why I was flabbergasted when I read yesterday at the Albany Times Union's blog, Capitol Confidential, that they had never heard of RT.

Those blogs just keep coming. Maybe its Trooper/Spitzergate or 08 but the blogosphere is hosting more and more political sites, it seems each day.

Here are two new ones that I was previously unaware of until some helpful readers e-mailed me.

...

On the left is the Rochester-based Rochesterturning blog where blogger Jvriper criticizes Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s fundraising tactics, noting that the Senator has collected $25,000 in interest alone since January, according to the July filing.

(Also note that the folks at Cap Con didn't even provide a link.)

That the writers of what is likely the most widely read political site in New York were completely unaware of one the state's best written and most effective blogs is completely astounding. It's even worse when you consider that RT front pager Jrviper is making the rest of the statewide media look silly by completely owning them on a potentially significant story. This is citizen journalism at its finest and it should shame those in the media who have so far been completely unaware of such a great site and the great work that they do.

Jrviper is smacking the hell out of this story. He's doing the media's job because they apparently won't. They should start paying attention because this story ain't no joke. Here's a taste:

Allegations Swirling Around Bruno

As a defense to our previous post on Joe Bruno’s apparently illegal corporate campaign contributions, an unnamed republican staffer made the following claim:

In fact I recognized at least one company listed where I know that the donation was returned because they hit their limit.

Unfortunately for the unnamed staffer, this claim compelled RT to rebut his claims and to further examine Bruno’s campaign finance records. As you will see, it appears this returned contribution may be much more than a simple mistake.

Much more on the flip...

Are You Blogging New York?

by: phillip anderson

Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 11:02:55 AM EDT

I gots somethin'.

Things are Looking Up For Dodd

by: phillip anderson

Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:34:59 PM EDT

Matt is one of a growing class of political professionals that tend defy the impulse of establishment campaign players to define. Matt, like many of this new crop of campaign pros, is proficient in a number of disciplines that have been historically highly specialized and possesses a number of skills that are literally only months old. Matt brings a hybrid of political and new media skills to the table that few of the established consultant class can match. The Dodd campaign is damn lucky to have him. And today is his first day on the job.

I wanted to tell you about what I'll be doing for the Dodd campaign. As you can tell, we've just launched a redesigned version of ChrisDodd.com. I've joined the campaign to help add content to the site so that Senator Dodd's supporters will know what he and his campaign staff are doing as it's happening. I'll be traveling with Senator Dodd on his campaign trips. My blog posts will aim to give readers a window into the Dodd campaign - what we're doing, where we're going, and what Senator Dodd is talking about.

But my job will go far beyond writing about the campaign. As I travel with Senator Dodd around America, I'll be posting videos from the trail. Lots of video. We're going to be doing exciting things with live streaming web video that will provide viewers an insiders look into what Senator Dodd is doing. This campaign is going to be transparent in real time because we believe that the more people get to know Senator Dodd, the more they will like him.

Good luck, Matt, and all the best to Senator Dodd.