San Francisco to induct bloggers into traditional media

Via the Silicon Valley Watcher: Apr. 5 in San Francisco will be the first declaration of its kind that bloggers are to enjoy the same privileges as traditional reporters. A city ordinance, which exempts all news sources, features and commentaries by any news source except those owned by a political party or individual, is expected to be revised in this connection. Blogs will also be deemed part of recognized news media. The debate over the legitimacy of blogs as credible and mainstream news sources peaked with the Apple case, which asked bloggers to reveal sources who provided inside information about unreleased products. Even though the announcement is one of its kind, online audiences are still asked to look into the rules recently proposed by the FEC about when blogs can be considered press, volunteers, or paid consultants.