Bloggers Ponder Rules As They Chase Recognition And Access

NEW YORK — As the trial of former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby began jury selection in Washington last week, Robert Cox made history just by showing up.

Cox is not a star witness or defense attorney. He came to blog.

In a first for a federal court and the growing ranks of bloggers, the Media Bloggers Association was granted two reserved seats for members to cover the trial. They'll post news, analysis and musings to the Internet while sitting alongside reporters from major news agencies.

"It's another ceiling being broken through for bloggers," said Cox, the association's president and author of the "WordsInEdgewise" blog.

He said gaining access to the Libby trial could create more opportunities for bloggers nationwide and strengthen the debated view that bloggers are journalists.

To advance that position, Cox plans for the 1,000-member association to grow in the next year, and to craft policies meant to bring bloggers the access, protections and credibility of traditional media.

Not all bloggers welcome the effort. Some see the association's attempt to set standards and provide credentials as contrary to blogging's often freewheeling nature.

"We don't need no stinkin' badges" was the title of a critical blog entry posted by Grayson Daughters, a former ABC News producer and self-described "soccer mom" from Atlanta. Her blog is "The Spacey Gracey Review: A Journal of Southern Culture."

"I don't want to see Robert Cox try to create again this environment where you have to be under the umbrella" of some organization, Daughters said in an interview.

She said she has no plans to abandon her association membership, but "it may turn out I may not want to be part of this group in a year."

Traditional journalists are more supportive, with some caveats.

The court credentials are a "sign of legitimizing these bloggers, and the bloggers in many ways deserve to be legitimized," said Al Tompkins, who teaches broadcast and online journalism at The Poynter Institute, a school for journalists in St. Petersburg, Fla.

But differences still remain between bloggers and mainstream journalists, he said.

"Journalists have a duty to also report on things that are contrary to their own selfish interests," he said. "Bloggers are all about coming from their own point of view. Journalists shouldn't be."

Blogs, which have exploded in number in recent years, range from personal online diaries to postings about news and politics that attract thousands of dedicated readers.

That growth has led to bloggers breaking news — and to stand accused of breaking the law.

Bloggers have been sued dozens of times in the last couple of years, according to the Media Law Resource Center in New York.

Cox said his effort is largely intended to protect bloggers' free speech by creating blogging standards.

James Joyner, who writes the "Outside the Beltway" blog, said most bloggers don't need those standards, or even a minimal understanding of ethics and publishing.

"If you're doing a blog about your cat, you obviously don't need any journalistic training," said Joyner, who is scheduled to be among the more than a dozen bloggers taking shifts at the Libby trial, where Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff faces perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

The association's bloggers debated for nine months whether they should even have a statement of principles, Cox said. Its stated mission now supports member independence and free speech, but also encourages attributes such as "honesty, fairness and accuracy."

Current membership requirements include regular blog postings, no spamming or product advertising, and generally no anonymous blogging. Applicants must pay a $25 membership fee, be nominated by a current member and write a brief essay.

The association is conducting "a purge of our membership" while getting bloggers to agree with the latest policies, Cox said.

In the future, there will be levels of membership, he said, with the association vouching for bloggers who meet certain standards so they can have greater access to venues or "partners" such as the federal court.

To get that access, Cox said, they will have to sign off on requirements such as adopting editorial or corrections policies, taking courses, or "whatever is required by that partner."

"Blogging and citizen journalism has a potentially transformative effect on our society by democratizing media and giving every citizen a potential voice," Cox said. "Blogging also has the potential to be incredibly destructive and selfish and horrible and be a gossip, scandal-mongering, back-stabbing place."

People who take blogging seriously, he said, "have to do more than sit on our hands and hope for the best."

The notion of "elite" bloggers has rankled many in the blogosphere.

"I don't think going to school and being knighted as an acceptable media blogger is the way to go," said Maitri Venkat-Ramani, an oil industry scientist and blogger in New Orleans who calls herself an "active citizen journalist" covering the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

"Because I write so much on a given topic, I've gained a certain respect in the blogosphere," she said in an interview. "It's based solely on the content I put out, and I think that's a great way to gain credibility."

Prompted by the blogger association's work helping in legal cases, the group is developing an online "blogger law" course that will be required for all members, Cox said.

The 30-minute Web course on copyrights, free speech and other legal issues will be offered through News University, a journalism training Web site.

Cox said the association is developing legal advice services and is seeking help from law schools and journalism organizations. However, he said, it is better if bloggers know the "rules of the road" and avoid increasingly common legal problems.

In case that fails, Cox said he also hopes the association's standards will help member bloggers pay less for liability insurance to protect their homes and assets in the face of legal threats.

Cox said he worked to create the association after The New York Times sued him in 2004. Cox had posted an online a parody of a Times correction as part of a campaign seeking a formal corrections policy for the paper's op-ed columnists.

While Cox's Web site was taken down for a few days, the Times later dropped its objections.

An offer of blogger access to the Libby trial came about after two years of speaking with judicial officials about blogging's goals and potential, Cox said.

While it was offered courtroom seats, the association chose spots in a nearby media room with live video coverage from inside the courtroom and wireless Internet access to allow for "live blogging" of the trial in progress.

The bloggers, with unique styles, interests and political leanings, will not file identical news reports, but all postings will be sent together with Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, Cox said.

Court officials, aware of potential rule violations with new technology, posted restrictions prohibiting all cameras — including camera phones and webcams — and recording and rebroadcasting of the TV feed. So no podcasting or posting photos, Cox said.

Cox said he has told the incoming bloggers: "It's your blog. Write about what you want, but remember there's an audience here that's looking at this to see how we do and to consider us for future opportunities."

"This isn't the time to be real edgy in your writing," he said, noting things such as possible vulgar language. "Be conscious of the fact that there are some very serious, sober-minded judges reading what you write and they may not be as amused as you might think."

On the Web:

Media Bloggers Association: www.mediabloggers.org

Spacey Gracey Review: spaceygreview.blogspot.com

Outside the Beltway: www.outsidethebeltway.com

Maitris VatulBlog: www.vatul.net/blog