Planning Maine Blogger Panel at Media Giraffe Summit

Bill Densmore of the Media Giraffe Project has asked me to put together a panel on the Maine Blogger case for the Media Giraffe Summit. He gave me the 11:00 am to 12:30 pm slot on Friday, June 30. You can register for the event here. The defendent, Lance Dutson, is confirmed as is Greg Herbert of Greenberg Traurig.

UPDATE: Fred Frawley of Preti Flaherty, attorney for Warren Kremer Paino is now confirmed.

Preliminary Draft for Session:

Citizen Media – The Maine Blogger: A Case Study of a Blogstorm”

CONVENERS: Robert Cox, Media Bloggers Association; Lance Dutson, Maine Web Report (defendant), Fred Frawley, Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios (attorney for WKPA), Greg Herbert, Greenberg Traurig (attorney for Lance Dutson)

When New York ad agency Warren, Kremer, Paino 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 When the lawsuit was withdrawn amidst a withering media campaign organized by the Media Bloggers Association, the "Maine Blogger" became a cause celebre in the blogosphere.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.