FEC to Consider Blog Regulation

The FEC recently announced that it is considering whether or not to require bloggers to disclose if they are being paid by political campaigns. While many bloggers feel the government is limiting their freedom of speech and unfairly targeting them, other feel that bloggers can act as a secret cover for political smear campaigns. In an article posted on Foxnews.com, Rick Hasen, a Loyola Law School professor is quoted as saying "I think there is a benefit for voters when they find out that something they find on the Internet is more of a paid advertisement than independent analysis." He later goes on to state "No one is talking about limiting speech or spending, just disclosure, and I think that is very valuable for voters to know."

Is this type of regulation limiting our freedom of speech? Would knowing if a blogger was being paid by a political campaign impact your opinion of the blogger and content?