The BBC has posted an editorial that the decision in a California court could have a dramatic effect for those who write online:

From a media perspective, the emergence of citizen journalism has blurred the line separating mainstream media from online new media.

Just over a week ago, a California appeals court took a major step toward eliminating any legal distinction in a case involving Apple Computer and two online news sites.

[…]

The premise of press-specific legal protections is that journalists do more than just inform – they keep our leaders and institutions accountable to the public. In order to persuade sources to reveal information hidden from view, they depend upon assurances of absolute confidentiality.

The California court examined the state of online journalism and found that it too deserves the legal protections crafted for the press.

In doing so, it has extended those protections to everyone, effectively stating that we can all play a role in keeping our leaders accountable. We are all journalists now.

Or maybe all of us always were journalists, but somewhere along the road a glass ceiling was introduced that has now been shattered by technology. Paradigm shift.