The Maine Blogger: Case Study of a Blogstorm

When New York ad agency Warren, Kremer, Piano Advertising filed a seven figure federal lawsuit against blogger Lance Dutson, an unknown gadfly was transformed overnight into a First Amendment martyr. When the lawsuit was withdrawn amidst a withering media campaign organized by the Media Bloggers Association, the “Maine Blogger” became a cause celebre in the blogosphere. Join us as we go behind the scenes with the key players to examine the legal issues raised by the case, the blogstorm which erupted and the implications for citizen journalists and the businesses and government officials they cover. Conveners: Robert Cox, Media Bloggers Association; Lance Dutson, Maine Web Report; Fred Frawley, Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios; and Greg Herbert, Greenberg Traurig.