These days, AI becomes an annoyance for freelance and independent journalists, but while the rise of artificial tech can be a headache, the trials of Josh Wolf seem way worse. If you don’t know, back in 2006, the independent blogger ended up jailed. What happened to him? And how did his case help other citizen journalists? Read on to find out more.
What Happened
Wolf attended a demonstration when the 2005 G-8 Summit took place in San Francisco. He wasn’t protesting, and went there to film the protesters. Later, some of his footage ended up on a local TV station. Meanwhile, he also shared footage on his blog. He called it All Empires Must Fall. That sort of thing happens all the time these days, so it seems wild that Josh Wolf ended up behind bars for a considerable amount of time.
It all went downhill for Josh after federal prosecutors wanted him to surrender some of his footage. That’s because some demonstrators allegedly damaged a police car. Plus, a police officer was injured. Well, Wolf said nope to that. The bottom line: he refused to testify before or hand over footage to Federal Grand Jury. He felt that protecting sources was vital.
Blurred Lines
It’s a long story because nobody seemed exactly clear where the line between an accreddited employed journalist and citizen journalist crossed paths. He cited the First Amendment protections and California’s shield law. Why? well, it meant he hoped to be protected and not need to reveal his sources. The biggest problem was that he wasn’t an official journalist back in the day. And anyway, the shield law couldn’t be enforced in a federal case.
Ultimately, the judge ruled him in contempt of court. Josh Wolf ended up behind bars for over 260 days. Briefly let out for appeals, he served more time than any other journalist. Finally, he ended up getting back his freedom in April of 2007.
Eventually a deal was struck and per Editor and Publisher, he shared his footage online, so anyone could see it. So, the need to force him to testify in the grand jury fell away. The next day, they set him free.
Is He Still Around?
Josh Wolf is still around, and his case helped verify the standing of independent folks who vlog and blog. After all, his case brought a lot of attention to the fact that independent folks should be respected by the First Amendment.
In fact, his case hailed him as Journalist of the Year, a title granted by The Society of Professional Journalists. Since then, he’s gone on to contribute to big media like the New York Times, and remains a strong advocate for freedom of the press.
In the last few years, he seems very active on LinkedIn and focuses on media ethics and also, the ethics of using AI as a journalistic tool. He also expanded his interests and his bio describes him as an “Entrepreneur, communications professional and expert problem-solver.”
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your interesting stories and updates.
The post Josh Wolf: How A Blogger’s Prison Stint Influenced Citizen Journalism first appeared on Celeb Baby Laundry.
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