Media Bloggers Association

The Media Bloggers Association (MBA) is a United States membership-based, non-partisan voluntary association describing its activity as "supporting the development of 'blogging' or 'citizen journalism' as a distinct form of media".[1]

In January 2007, an MBA member received press credentials identical to those of broadcast and print journalists 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.[2] The MBA described this as a significant step forward in its efforts on behalf of its members,[3] despite the fact that the major blogs covering the trial did not rely on the MBA for their credentials.[4]

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.[5]

Criticism

Many of the MBA's members are unknown bloggers, but some are prominent bloggers such as Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit,[6] Oliver Willis,[7] Liza Sabater of Culture Kitchen,[8] Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine. Still, some bloggers have claimed that the MBA has made sweeping claims to represent bloggers.[9][10][11] 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.[12]

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.[13] MBA supporters,[14] Robert Cox himself[15] and others [16] have written at length in response to these criticisms.

References

  1. ↑ About Media Bloggers Association – MBA Mission
  2. ↑ Associated Press, "History: Bloggers get in trial", The Albuquerque Tribune, January 13, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2007
  3. ↑ Sipress, Alan, "Too Casual To Sit on Press Row? Bloggers' Credentials Boosted With Seats at the Libby Trial", The Washington Post, January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2007 (registration required)
  4. ↑ "For Bloggers, Libby Trial Is Fun and Fodder (Correction)", New York Times February 16, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2008
  5. ↑ How the Media Bloggers Association Got Involved | Workbench
  6. ↑ The MBA logo can be seen on the Instapundit website
  7. ↑ "Media Bloggers Association And The AP Story". Oliver Willis' blog. June 18, 2008.
  8. ↑ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/18/something-is-rotten-in-denmark-the-ap-nytimes-and-mba-love-triangle/all-comments/#comment-2379728
  9. ↑ Doctorow, Cory. "Who are the "Media Bloggers Association" and what gives them to right to negotiate copyright with the Associated Press?". BoingBoing. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  10. ↑ Nielsen Hayden, Teresa. "AP to negotiate with sham "Media Bloggers Association"".
  11. ↑ "Media bloggers association". Gawker.com.
  12. ↑ Arrington, Michael. "Something Is Rotten In Denmark: The A.P., NYTimes and MBA Love Triangle". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  13. ↑ Doctorow, Cory. "Media Bloggers Association -- who they are (and they aren't "representing blogs" to the Associated Press)". BoingBoing.
  14. ↑ See notes 2 and 3 supra. See also "EXCLUSIVE : Robert Cox answers some questions about his coming meeting with AP". Culture Kitchen. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  15. ↑ "Back Story on AP - Drudge Retort Issue".
  16. ↑ Teresa (June 18, 2008). "AP to negotiate with sham "Media Bloggers Association"". Making Light blog. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
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