"Court: Bloggers Have Same First Amendment Protections as Traditional Journalists"

"A blogger—and, really, the public at large—has the same protections for free speech in the United State as a traditional journalist and can only lose a defamation lawsuit on an issue of public concern if plaintiffs manage to prove negligence."

“To be precise, the Ninth Circuit concludes that all who speak to the public, whether or not they are members of the institutional press, are equally protected by the First Amendment,” writes Eugene Volokh, who represented Cox."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/01/18/crystal_cox_bloggers_have_same_free_speech_protections_as_traditional_journalists.html