This week I received the following e-mail from a colleague titled,

"PETA Threatening Journalists and Bloggers." I've asked for,

and received, permission to post it here:

>> We got a letter from PETA's attorney yesterday about some blogging we've
done on Pet Connection.

First post here:

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/03/27/letter-from-peta/

Follow-up here:

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/03/28/petakerr/

It's not just us... Nathan Winograd got one, too:

http://www.rescuenetwork.org/articles/WinogradLetter.pdf

Editor & Publisher picked it up:

http://tinyurl.com/2kxxfq

So did the Center for Consumer Freedom:

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3595

I'm trying to find out if any other bloggers got letters like this... let me
know if you hear of any! Permission given to crosspost. Thanks!

Christie Keith
Contributing Editor, Universal Press Syndicate's Pet Connection
Editor, PetHobbyist.com
"Your Whole Pet," SFGate.com <<

Once you've read this, you can make up your own mind about the journalist's comments,

the letter from the attorney, etc. Perhaps you'd already heard about this, maybe

you read about it in Editor & Publisher. What I would like to know is: are we

journalists and bloggers supposed to be quaking in our boots, running scared every

time we write something in an article or blog that questions big business or any sort

of organization? Whatever happened to freedom of the press and freedom of speech?

If we are responsible, ethical journalists, are we still going to have to expect

the lawyer's letter telling us to cease and desist?

It's food for thought and it's giving me heartburn.