i L i n d . n e t

I can’t really say whether yesterday’s entry concerning the continuing legal assault on Kamehameha Schools triggered the subsequent news coverage, but the Advertiser story by Rick Daysog appeared online just after 11 a.m., five hours after my posting. This morning’s Star-Bulletin story by Alex Da Silva advanced the story by pointing to a rule prohibiting solicitation of clients via e-mail. Although the Da Silva’s reference isn’t specific, the rule is part of the Supreme Court’s Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct (oops, my first attempt at that URL was wrong, but the link should be working now). The sections concerning advertising are found in Rule 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3.

Webmaster Ryan Ozawa raises the issues surrounding the subpoena of Malia Zimmerman and whether online journalists and bloggers are entitled to the same protections as corporate journalists.

I’m guessing you’ll probably have something to say on the Malia Zimmerman subpoena, and the now localized debate as to whether bloggers are journalists. I put together a blog post myself:

Interestingly, as I Googled around for some background, I ended up on my own website. (I guess I should worry if Google remembers my own life better than I do.) As it happens, and as you probably recall, Zimmerman, Burt Lum and I were on a panel discussion on “digital journalism” back in November 2004. Turns out I archived the HCMC announcement, as well as a recording of the panel discussion and even Chad Blair’s HPR report on it!

At the time, it was the Jennifer Toma Bainum flap that was at the top of everyone’s mind. But there was indeed a discussion as to whether Hawaii Reporter was “just a weblog” or a “newspaper.” An interesting audio “exhibit” of sorts, I think, given the present case!

Good work, Ryan!

Another reader commented on the same issue.

I can’t stop shaking my head over it. For me, Malia must be the perfect example of the schlock journalist you have to stand up and defend in honor of free speech and freedom of the press …… no matter how much it might turn your stomach.