the Sam Jackson College Experience

I am currently working as an intern at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and got a press release hit last week from one project that the center is involved in. The Citizen Media Law Project does a lot of good work providing legal education for people involved in... you guessed it, citizen media. They have a great new site up which gives a very good survey about legal protections and concerns to be aware of in all 50 states--each state has important custom information. In their words:

"The guide, intended for use by citizen media creators with or without formal legal training, addresses the legal issues that traditional and non-traditional journalists are likely to encounter as they gather information and publish their work online."

"Knowing your legal rights and responsibilities is important for anyone who publishes online. The CMLP's legal guide addresses the legal issues you may encounter as you gather information and publish your work. The guide is intended for use by citizen media creators with or without formal legal training, as well as others with an interest in these issues."

So definitely check it out, as well as the CMLP website in general (citmedialaw.org) and the Citizen Media project (citmedia.org). Since we're all publishing so much and contributing to so many online media these days, worth familiarizing yourself with some of the applicable laws and making yourself well informed of the local laws, whether you're a total stranger or an EFF member.