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Round Two: AP To Meet with Media Bloggers Association

By Marisa Peacock

Jun 19. 2008

AP Meets with Media Bloggers Association

You know it was too good for us to just leave well enough alone. After all, who doesn’t like a good fight? So that’s why we’re following the AP vs Bloggers story closely.

Recent reports suggest that the Associated Press has scheduled a meeting for this morning with the Media Bloggers Association. In hopes of discussing appropriate guidelines for quoting AP stories, the phrase “fair use” is bound to make a few appearances, as well as lots of analytics, indicating, perhaps, the large amounts of traffic that the AP gets from humble little blogs.

Preliminary talks will be between Jim Kennedy, director of strategic planning at the AP and Robert Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association with the premier objective of finding a way for bloggers to quote from AP content “without devaluing licensed material”.

At the heart of this debate is the role of the blog in our online social media world. Sure, we the gentle blog reader understand how valuable and relevant its content can be. Yet, to the traditional media publishing industry, it’s clear how blogs are perceived: annoying, little insects buzzing around the webosphere whose opinions and insights are no more significant than those huddled around the water cooler.

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But as we’ve pointed out time and again, blogs, no matter what they will prove to be years from now, are relevant because they are a part of the new landscape of online news and media. We’re here, get used to it.

The AP is simply swatting at flies; trying to flex their legal muscle in an effort to eliminate what they don’t understand and don’t appreciate. No one understands protecting content more than bloggers and codes of conduct are evolving, so it’s almost as if the AP failed to do their research. Bloggers aren’t the ones that are hurting traditional media; it seems as if traditional media is doing it all by themselves.

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Comments

The fact that a small, unknown group could claim to represent the Blogosphere is bunk. and Techcruch is showing that the MBA may have ties to the AP. That may or not be... What is clear is that the MBA is a closed door society, membership sign-ups haven't even started.

I think that many online argue correctly that they are rightly entitled to use excerpts, links, commentary and the facts of the news online. I would agree.. These are protected and allowed. Certainly the facts are fair game.. Courts have long ruled that factual information is in the public domain.

What makes AP look really bad is that they have in the past and continue to take from Blogs and other news sites excerpts, quotes and facts.. The very behavior that they claim isn’t allowed. This is hypocritical of AP… they can’t have it both ways. There are posts at the Poynter Institute that share reporters stories of having their content "lifted" by the AP without permission or payment all in the name of "Fair Use"..

Whatever happens the AP has created for themselves a no-win situation. They are clearly fighting to maintain revenues, they are clearly losing marketshare . and they've clearly completely alienated the online world, not just bloggers.. but even worse their customers and members.

Posted by: disundit on June 19, 2008 9:13 AM