Why we are all journalists now: The implications of the California decision are profound as they may change more than just journalism.
The premise of press-specific legal protections is that journalists do more than just inform - they keep our leaders and institutions accountable to the public. In order to persuade sources to reveal information hidden from view, they depend upon assurances of absolute confidentiality.
The California court examined the state of online journalism and found that it too deserves the legal protections crafted for the press.
In doing so, it has extended those protections to everyone, effectively stating that we can all play a role in keeping our leaders accountable. We are all journalists now.
