Seems like in the new age of bloggers being used as an important tool of politics, some thorny questions of digital rights are coming up. Check this story out: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/huffington-post-is-target-of-suit-on-behalf-of-bloggers/?nl=afternoonupdate&emc=aua22
The Huffington Post is being sued by bloggers for lack of compensation to the bloggers for the services that they were contracted to do by the Post. The suit is being led by Jonthan Tasini, a labor lawyer who had these kind words to say "“The Huffington bloggers have essentially been turned into modern-day slaves on Arianna Huffington’s plantation”.
The question that is really raised here, however, is what rights do bloggers have? Are they considered workers in the same sense of a traditional 9-5 job? Are they writers or authors like James Patterson or JK Rowling? I think that these questions, and this lawsuit, have the potential to become a really big deal because the blogging world is only going to proliferate and these questions must be dealt with.
This is a perfect example of technological advancement and how our world is ever changing. Who would have thought that blogging would turn into a fight for a labor lawyer. My guess is that five years from now this won't even be a question, bloggers rights will probably be exactly like the rest of the 9-5 population.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a very pertinent question. I think right now they're more like writers who are trying to get a publisher to pay them for their work. Many people realize that bloggers are a valuable asset and therefor I think their role is going to change.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they are suing is laughable. As much as i despise the traitor Huffington, who the heck hired these under educated, over bored losers anyway? Doesn't sound like they were hired or signed any kind of contract and just forced their way into there. This is like someone mowing your lawn without permission and then asks to get paid. Blogging isn't even a job. The case should be thrown out on the spot and anyone suing should pay the court fees.
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