Copyright law gives copyright protection to creative works at the moment of their creation. If someone uses a copyrighted work without permission, the copyright owner can sue for infringement. Journalists need to know both sides of this issue -- how to protect their own works, and how to use someone else's material without infringing their copyright.
The "fair use" of copyrighted works is an important concept for all content producers to know.
Many courts have agreed that a journalist who publishes only online can be a reporter for the purposes of shield laws, provided that he or she regularly gathers and disseminates news to the public.
Web sites may be able to protect the identity of anonymous posters, under developing laws or even shield laws.
Restraints on Internet speech are usually not tolerated by courts, although particular speech can often be restrained if it has already been adjudged as libelous.