Starting with the 2004 US Presidential election, blogging really took hold, demanding the attention of serious traditional media and the public as a whole.  While it's mostly hype about Web 2.0 and the power of the masses, blogging continues to show some staying power, with a handful of blogs attaining semi-respected status in their respective fields.  However, with all that exposure, and with bloggers attempting to venture into areas traditionally serviced by journalists, things are starting to get dicey on the legal front.  You see, while journalists have shield laws to protect them and their sources from retribution for the stories they write, bloggers have nothing of the sort.

Last week, the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 was amended to redefine "journalists" so that it did not depend on working for a media outlet, instead it defined the job by its tasks and duties.  This redefinition will protect bloggers the same way traditional journalists are sheltered from demands that they reveal their sources.

The bill will likely pass fairly soon, despite expected opposition from companies such as Apple Inc, who have been involved in legal cases recently that attempted to force bloggers to name sources of product announcement leaks.

More info at Ars Technica.