CNET: Bloggers should be classified as journalists and given First Amendment protections based on the function they perform, not the form of their transmissions. Properly understood, the First Amendment applies to all those who report with journalistic integrity–offline or online.

In a prescient 1993 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that an author had standing to invoke a reporter’s privilege when the court ruled that "what makes journalism journalism is not its format but its content." The same principle and rights should apply to bloggers–if they are producing similar content and using similar journalistic techniques as the mainstream media. Ironically, many of the "established" media outlets have also migrated online, with some even running their own blogs.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee.