Blogstorm

Media | McCain-Feingold threats to internet speech incur bipartisan wrath | Mark Bergin

In a March 3 interview with online news outlet CNET, Bradley A. Smith of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) dropped a match in a wheat field, warning of potentially crippling regulations on political blogging. By mid-afternoon, the winds of hyper-linking had spread that raging blaze nationwide, drawing scorching criticism from liberal and conservative bloggers alike.

Will the online revolution in grassroots politicking topple just as it is gathering speed? Have the blogosphere's inroads into the mainstream media's monopoly hit a dead end?

Mr. Smith considers such gloom and doom possible—if not probable. He told CNET that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, a campaign finance law better known as McCain-Feingold, could apply to internet sites. At issue is whether positive references to particular candidates or links to campaign websites constitute political contributions or expenditures.