The ruling overturned a lower court decision earlier this year that suggested the law did not protect online publishers in the same way that it protected newspapers. The Supreme Court concluded “that one can ‘print’ in more than one way.”

In an ongoing dispute that has captivated a town once home to Mark Twain, a Carson City judge ruled Monday that an irreverent reporter was not protected under Nevada’s shield law until he started paying dues to the Nevada Press Association.