Membership

The Media Bloggers Association has been working on a number of major changes. As a result, we decided to stop processing requests for new MBA memberships last year until we got all those changes sorted out. Our concern was that it would be unfair to have people join knowing that our policies were going to change. The work we have been doing is complex involving the need to set up as a new non-profit company, sort out dealing with state agencies, web development, and a variety of other things. We're almost done.

All the work should be completed before the end of the summer (knock wood). We will then open up registration for membership again with the new stuff in place. The new automated process for becoming an MBA member will mean that we will not have to manually process applications which has been the primary reason that we never promoted MBA membership or actively recruited new members - we had no good way to deal with a lot of requests.

If you would like to be informed when applications will be available, please submit your information using the form below, and we will send you an email, probably some time in August.

NOTE ON AP-DRUDGE RETORT ISSUE: For the past four years the MBA has worked to provide legal support services to bloggers in hundreds of cases like this one. None have generated this level of interest but while we are sorry for Rogers Cadenhead personally, we are pleased that more people are now aware of the legal risks facing bloggers and the need for legal and financial resources to defend blogger speech. This case represent a sea change in awareness.

Up until now, we have been quietly going about revamping the MBA with the centerpiece of those efforts being the first-ever media liability insurance product for bloggers. We will also offer an online training course on media law for bloggers; MBA applicants will have to answer questions about that course in order to be approved for membership and get access to the insurance program which will entitle them to a significant discount on the annual premium.

An important part of our mission is to educate bloggers on the reality that the risks facing a micro-publisher (blogger) or micro-broadcaster (podcaster, vlogger) is the same for any other publisher or broadcaster. We do not expect bloggers to become media lawyers but rather that they understand the questions they need to ask BEFORE publishing and then give them access to people who can help them get answers.

A major benefit of our requiring media law training for our members is that Media Pro Insurance, a leading provider of media liability coverage to newspapers, TV networks, film companies and others, was willing to create a special insurance program to offer our members a significant discount off this type of insurance, making it affordable for many bloggers who need this type of insurance (as the AP-Drudge Retort case clearly shows) but could not otherwise obtain it. We will be providing details about this program in July.

Here is a rough time line of our planned roll out (as always, subject to change):

7/15 - media liability insurance online "portal" goes live

8/1 - underwriting guidelines for MBA Insurance Program finalized; insurance product set, coverage and prices announced.

9/1 - online training course goes live; integrated into MBA membership application process; emails sent out to all bloggers who filled out the request form on this page.

9/20 - official launch of new programs at BlogWorld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas.

If you have any questions please send us an email at info AT mediabloggers DOT org