Justice Minister Simon Power wants a review of what he calls the 'Wild West' of the internet.
He has asked the Law Commission to relook at regulations governing the way the internet interacts with the justice system.
The minister says bloggers and online publishers are not subject to any form of regulation, or professional or ethical standards.
Mr Power wants the commission to define the concept 'news media' for the purposes of the law, and look at whether the Broadcasting Standards Authority and/or the Press Council's juristiction could be widened to include the internet.
