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Mark Glaser asks the million dollar question in his thorough analysis of Apple v. Citizen Journalists ...

(2005): is it good journalism or breaking the law...

"In all these cases, Apple is intent on getting the site proprietors to turn over information on their inside sources. However, shield laws generally protect journalists from giving up that information in the interest of public service in investigative journalism. So the first question is whether these sites are considered journalistic endeavors.

"I use the same, legal news gathering techniques that any other reporter uses," said Nick Ciarelli, the 19-year-old Harvard student who runs ThinkSecret and is an editor at the Harvard Crimson. "It's worth noting that large publications and major newspapers frequently publish news scoops about Apple, but Apple has never sued any of them, and is instead attempting to silence a small online publication.""

So, will the courts step up to the plate to validate citizen journalism or stifle it? If they go by what Kevin Maney wrote in USA Today, they will validate it since blogging is really nothing new. Tom Paine was at it years ago.

It's just easier, faster and more distributed than ever before. This is a landmark case for citizen journalism and one that every PR pro and journalist should be watching closely.

Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.