Twiststl

As the world waits for the release of the fourth generation iPhone, we have been far more interested in the controversy that the leaked photos and subsequent raid of Gizmodo blogger Jason Chen has drummed up. So just a little back story—an Apple software engineer in California forgot his iPhone OS 4.0 at a bar. A patron that found the phone then sold it to a Gizmodo blogger who released photos of the phone.

All of this has led people to question whether or not bloggers should be protected under reporter privilege. We think this is a particularly interesting question given that more and more people are blogging every day. Should they all be protected by the same laws that reporters are? Moreover, companies around the world (ourselves included) are using blogs to provide customers and potential customers with timely, useful information. While people are certainly turning to blogs to receive news and insight on topics of interest, they are also being used for more overtly commercial purposes. So where does that leave the individuals that have become bloggers for their companies? The ways that businesses and marketers reach their target audiences continues to grow and evolve. As we capitalize on new media as a way to reach consumers, it’s important to remember that though the technology exists, the world hasn’t necessarily figured out just how to deal with it.

If you haven’t been following the iPhone OS 4.0 debacle, check out Fast Company’s recap of the saga. If you’re more interested in the implications of reporter privilege for bloggers, this article might be more your speed.