Perspectives | CNET News.com: "The emergence of technology that allowed personal publishing on the Internet also triggered a tiring debate over who should be considered a journalist. Thanks to Apple Computer, there's finally a clear legal answer.
And it's the right answer. If you can post information on a Web site, you're entitled to the same legal protections the law extends to the mainstream media.
Legal scholars will surely have a lot more to say about the California Appeals Court ruling (click here for PDF) rejecting Apple's bid to force an enthusiast Web site to turn over its records. But the most important precedent for me was the court's treatment of the 'who is a journalist question.'
Apple had sought to identify the source of a leak on an unannounced product. More than any other outfit in Silicon Valley, this company is run by control freaks prone to throwing tantrums when reporters land scoops. But when the information wound up published on a couple of Apple enthusiast sites, management ordered up the heavy artillery. "
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