Media Bloggers Association
Encyclopedia
The Media Bloggers Association (MBA) is a United States
membership-based, non-partisan
voluntary association
describing its activity as "supporting the development of 'blog
ging' or 'citizen journalism
' as a distinct form of media
".
In January 2007, an MBA member received press credentials identical to those of broadcast and print journalist
s at a federal court
, to cover the trial of Lewis Libby
, alongside bloggers from more established sites including Firedoglake
, the Huffington Post, and Daily Kos
. The MBA described this as a significant step forward in its efforts on behalf of its members, despite the fact that the major blogs covering the trial did not rely on the MBA for their credentials.
In June 2008, MBA became involved in a copyright dispute involving Associated Press
demand of strict terms for bloggers quoting from their news at the request of Rogers Cadenhead
whose Drudge
Retort was affected.
of Instapundit
, Oliver Willis, Liza Sabater of Culture Kitchen, Jeff Jarvis
of BuzzMachine. Still, some bloggers have claimed that the MBA has made sweeping claims to represent bloggers. These critics have claimed that the MBA did not include any major bloggers as members nor represent a significant proportion of the blogging community. Michael Arrington
of TechCrunch
also claimed, without support, that a business relationship existed between the Associated Press
and the MBA.
BoingBoing, one of the blogs critical of the MBA, issued a corrective stating that it was the Associated Press
and the New York Times which implied that the MBA was acting on behalf of all bloggers, and not the MBA itself. MBA supporters, Robert Cox himself and others have written at length in response to these criticisms.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
membership-based, non-partisan
Partisan (political)
In politics, a partisan is a committed member of a political party. In multi-party systems, the term is widely understood to carry a negative connotation - referring to those who wholly support their party's policies and are perhaps even reluctant to acknowledge correctness on the part of their...
voluntary association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
describing its activity as "supporting the development of 'blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging' or 'citizen journalism
Citizen journalism
Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
' as a distinct form of media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
".
In January 2007, an MBA member received press credentials identical to those of broadcast and print journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s at a federal court
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
, to cover the trial of Lewis Libby
Lewis Libby
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is a former adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, later disbarred and convicted of a felony....
, alongside bloggers from more established sites including Firedoglake
Firedoglake
Firedoglake is a US collaborative blog which primarily specialises in covering news from a left-progressive/left-liberal stance...
, the Huffington Post, and Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
. The MBA described this as a significant step forward in its efforts on behalf of its members, despite the fact that the major blogs covering the trial did not rely on the MBA for their credentials.
In June 2008, MBA became involved in a copyright dispute involving Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
demand of strict terms for bloggers quoting from their news at the request of Rogers Cadenhead
Rogers Cadenhead
Rogers Cadenhead is a computer book author and web publisher who is currently chairman of the RSS Advisory Board, a group that assists developers in using the RSS 2.0 specification. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1991 and Lloyd V...
whose Drudge
Drudge Report
The Drudge Report is a news aggregation website. Run by Matt Drudge with the help of Joseph Curl and Charles Hurt, the site consists mainly of links to stories from the United States and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and current events as well as links to many...
Retort was affected.
Criticism
Many of the MBA's members are unknown bloggers, but some are prominent bloggers such as Glenn ReynoldsGlenn Reynolds
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and is best known for his weblog, Instapundit, one of the most widely read American political weblogs...
of Instapundit
Instapundit
Instapundit is a United States political blog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. The blog began in August 2001 as an experiment, and a part of Reynolds' class on Internet law...
, Oliver Willis, Liza Sabater of Culture Kitchen, Jeff Jarvis
Jeff Jarvis
Jeff Jarvis is an American journalist. Previously he was a television critic for TV Guide and People magazine, creator of Entertainment Weekly, Sunday editor and associate publisher of the New York Daily News, and a columnist on the San Francisco Examiner.-Career:Until recently Jarvis was...
of BuzzMachine. Still, some bloggers have claimed that the MBA has made sweeping claims to represent bloggers. These critics have claimed that the MBA did not include any major bloggers as members nor represent a significant proportion of the blogging community. Michael Arrington
Michael Arrington
J. Michael Arrington is the founder and former co-editor of TechCrunch, a blog covering the Silicon Valley technology start-up communities and the wider technology field in USA and elsewhere...
of TechCrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
also claimed, without support, that a business relationship existed between the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and the MBA.
BoingBoing, one of the blogs critical of the MBA, issued a corrective stating that it was the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and the New York Times which implied that the MBA was acting on behalf of all bloggers, and not the MBA itself. MBA supporters, Robert Cox himself and others have written at length in response to these criticisms.