I fail to see how any so-called freelance journalist can claim ignorance of the US visa rule. Every single freelance contributor agreement that I have signed (albeit all with aviation related publications) specifically has a clause that indemnifies the publication from the cost of acquiring an I-1 journalist visa for the United States if needed.

This visa rule has been on the books for years and has been enforced for years, despite the May 2003 claims of this lady. Every few months some scribe who thinks that the rules don't apply to them comes forward and claims ignorance and persecution. Sorry, but after a while it gets old. There are plenty of resources on the internet alone with information about I-1 visas, so the only excuse that is valid is one of laziness rather than obscurity.