(H/T to el Instapundita, one of my all-time favorite bloggers, for alerting me to this one.)

Once again we see bloggers treated as second-class journalists.

Police have seized computers and servers belonging to an editor of Gizmodo in an investigation that appears to stem from the gadget blog’s purchase of a lost Apple iPhone prototype.

Deputies from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office obtained a warrant on Friday and searched Jason Chen’s Fremont, Calif., home later that evening, Gizmodo acknowledged on Monday.

California has laws that protect journalists from this kind of search and seizure, but those protections don’t seem to apply to blogger journalists.

This isn’t just unjust.  It’s also a form of competitive advantage for traditional media outlets.  With cops going after bloggers, will the next Deep Throat feel more comfortable going with her info to a guy from Gizmodo or a reporter from the New York Times?

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