Bloggers take reporter seats at top US aide's trial

Several bloggers have obtained media accreditation to attend the perjury trial of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a US federal court spokeswoman told AFP.

A blogger organization, Media Bloggers Association (MBA), said on its website that it had obtained one accreditation for the courtroom and one for the media center, where the trial proceedings are transmitted via an internal video feed.

According to MBA president Robert Cox, it was the first time that bloggers, who maintain weblogs, or personal logs, on the Internet, have been given press accreditation for a federal trial.

The inroad by bloggers comes amid a growing trend among reporters to write a blog for their organizations in addition to their traditional coverage.

The US federal court in Washington has provided some 80 accreditations, 35 for the courtroom and 45 for the media center, its spokeswoman said, and of those several were given to bloggers.

The trial of Libby, a former chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney who is accused of lying under oath during an investigation into a CIA spy's blown cover, got under way Tuesday with jury selection.

Opening arguments were scheduled to begin on January 22 and the trial was expected to last four to six weeks.

If convicted, Libby faces up to 30 years in prison.

__________
from : news yahoo