An Associated Press report said “Crystal L. Cox, a blogger from Eureka, Mont., was sued for defamation by attorney Kevin Padrick when she posted online that he was a thug and a thief during the handling of bankruptcy proceedings by him and Obsidian Finance Group LLC.
“U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez found last week that as a blogger, Cox was not a journalist and cannot claim the protections afforded to mainstream reporters and news outlets.”
Although, the ruling is not expected to really tame the free-wheeling environment of digital media which includes blogs (short for “web log”, online sites usually set up by individuals containing their articles which could cover any topic and form), it would be a useful distinction for new media users.
According to news reports, Cox styles herself as an “investigative blogger.” She has created numerous websites with names like “obsidianfinancesucks.com,” “bankruptcytrusteefraud.com,” and “oregonshyster.com,” in which she accused Padrick and Obsidian of misconduct in their handling of a bankruptcy case.