Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Internet and Free Speech

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Internet and Free Speech:

The Internet and Free Speech

Gentle readers, 
The last couple of months have been something of a strain for me. I was busy fighting a petition in court for an order of protection against me, claiming I had harassed someone via this blog and this person feared loss of their job because of the alleged harassment.

I will go into some detail about this case in another thread but suffice to say that,of course, it was without merit and summarily dismissed. I knew this from the start - as did my lawyer - but the wheels of justice can be slow.  (My lawyer and I also made a motion for a little-known law that protects citizens speaking out on subjects of public interest in a public form.  More on that as well later.)

But the broader issue - one we can open up for discussion today - is a discussion of the Internet, privacy and free speech and how they relate to each other with respect to this blog.

Charlie and I have tried valiantly to keep this an open and lively place for discussion. We have tried to keep it civil. But this case have made me realize that there are some readers who might be making assumptions about what they might believe to be "right"  for us to write versus what is legal.

So I put forth these thoughts about this blog and our work. 

 First rule: we aren't professional journalists nor have we ever said that we are. 

 

Charlie and I are bloggers and that's something of a nether world especially for writers/activists who blog.  I call myself a citizen-reporter. Both the terms "blogger" and "citizen-reporter" are recognized as media by many government entities. Is this is fair? That's for those in government to decide but I think that longevity and credibility count toward that decision and seems to have worked for me.

That said, neither of us have ever claimed to be journalists. I do the best I can -