Have an opinion? Why not share on a blog?

That’s the allure of cyberspace. Everyone has a voice. Anyone who wants to can play journalist. But what about when the blogging is bought and sold and is really professional lobbying disguised as good old fashioned populism? That’s what the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission is trying to get a handle on and it won’t be easy, because the lines can get a little fuzzy.

Grassroots lobbying is defined as going to the general public and asking them to do some lobbying on behalf of somebody else. In other words, the United Auto Workers wants a huge federal bailout package so they pay a blogger to whip up support for $50 billion. The blogger calls on the public to flood lawmakers’ offices with phone calls and emails. Currently this fictional political activism by the UAW and the blogger is not required to be reported. But the PDC might change the rules saying the public has a right to know that the UAW is behind that political message… just as if they were advertising during an election cycle.

It’s an interesting question considering the free speech implications. I interviewed a Seattle blogger who pushes a liberal agenda on his web site www.horsesass.org. David Goldstein considers himself a journalist in the same vein as an editorial writer at a newspaper. He doesn’t have to declare objectivity. He takes money from people who also support his liberal agenda, but Goldstein insists that it’s not a quid pro quo. He’s not paid to support a certain cause, he says. He’s given donations by people who agree with his positions and want him to continue to have a forum.

Other bloggers acknowlede they use the internet to lobby. The Web site www.fusewashington.org admits that much of what they do is designed to get a progressive agenda adopted, and they do accept donations earmarked for specific causes. But Fuse only reports a small portion of its political donations which come from Move on.org and SEIU to name a few. Down the road they may be required to disclose all the donations tied to their political activism.