Further, the definition might de-incentivize innovation in news production and distribution by limiting shield protections to traditional outlets and journalists. That would be problematic because the digital revolution is dispersing the production and distribution of news. The concern here is that the Internet has created what Yochai Benkler calls the “networked fourth estate,” which combines “elements of both traditional and novel forms of news media.”

via Why Defining a Journalist Is Messy, But Crucial | Mediashift | PBS.