Dick Durbin not so sure bloggers are protected under First Amendment

dick durbinWhile discussing the targeting of reporters by the Department of Justice, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on “Fox News Sunday” that he’s ready to support a media shield law, but isn’t so sure that bloggers are protected by these laws.

Never mind that the First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech.

A media shield law is designed to protect reporters’ privilege, or the right of reporters to refuse to testify as to information and/or sources of information obtained during the news gathering and dissemination process.

Espousing a key tenet of the progressive ideology, that the constitution is a fundamentally flawed document “written over 200 years ago,” Durbin arrogantly implies that today’s lawmakers are somehow better equipped to determine who should and should not be protected.

“But here is the bottom line – the media shield law, which I am prepared to support, and I know Sen. Graham supports, still leaves an unanswered question, which I have raised many times: What is a journalist today in 2013?

We know it’s someone that works for Fox or AP, but does it include a blogger? Does it include someone who is tweeting? Are these people journalists and entitled to constitutional protection. We need to ask 21st century questions about a provision that was written over 200 years ago.”

Of course, this opinion has little to do with the unfortunate reality that many of these so called “journalists” are kindred spirits with the progressive left, while bloggers represent perhaps the only remaining challenge to them having free rein over American politics. Right?

Lest we forget, the last time we checked in with Sen. Durbin, he was speaking at a May Day rally being attended by “a large contingent of Communist Party USA, anarchists and international socialist groups.”

H/T Independent Journal Review

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