Forbes asks rhetorically "Is Apple The New Microsoft?" Referencing the Apple v. Does case, Forbes Senior Editor Lisa DiCarlo notes that this "potential threat to First Amendment rights and Apple's crackdown on websites that, in general, love the company and its products" as well as the failure of songs bought from iTunes to "work with music players other than its own ... To some, that might sound like its neighbor to the north."

Forbes also opined that a denial of the journalists' motion for a protective order "will have a chilling and potentially devastating effect on not only blogs, which are growing in stature and prominence, but online media in general."

We agree -- today's online journalists depend on confidential sources to gather news, and their ability to promise confidentiality is essential to the freedom of the press.

Related Issues