The press according to Feinstein does not include bloggers and  unpaid, upstart media types. Like Firenze Sage, Esq. of the Monterey Bay Forum.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein has proposed an amendment to the Media Shield Law.
Feinstein wants to  limit the law’s protection to only  “real reporters,†not bloggers and other upstart alternative media types.
A real reporter, declared Madame Feinstein during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, is “a salaried agent†of a media company.  “salaried agents” are those who  work for  like the New York Times or ABC News.  Salaried agents does  not a shoestring operation with volunteers and writers who are not paid.
This is nothing new for Feinstein, who’s (along with Sen. Dick Durbin) previously made the argument that acts of journalism can only be performed by major news agencies, cutting everyone else out of the protective loop. This is a protective move based partially on ignorance and partially on the reality that major news networks are easier to control, seeing as most aren’t willing to give up access to the Beltway by pissing off its residents.
Sadly, this sort of reactionary ignorance isn’t limited solely to government representatives. This same sort of statement has been made by published authors to demean the self-published and by old school journalists to demean bloggers, serial Tweeters and pretty much everyone not associated with a sinking masthead. Whenever someone assumes they’re capable of determining who is or isn’t a real whatever, they’re usually speaking from a position of privilege, one that can only be maintained as long as the status remains quo.
The same goes for government officials arguing over the definition of “journalist.” It’s someone who performs the act of journalism. It’s as simple as that. But if you accept this definition, then you put the government at a greater “risk” of not being able to pursue and punish those who expose its wrongdoing. Feinstein makes this governmental fear explicit …
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2013/08/sen-feinstein-during-shield-law-debate.html
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Firenze Sage:  Those un-salaried agents often say un  nice things about madame Feinstein.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109312
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