Press Rights
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The document discusses several aspects of press rights in the United States, including: 1) Privileges that protect fair reporting of information and opinions, as well as fair comment and criticism. 2) Protections from searches of newsrooms unless related to suspected criminal activity. 3) "Shield laws" in some states that allow reporters to protect confidential sources, though no federal shield laws exist. 4) Key areas of open courtrooms, meetings and records that support transparency.
Press Rights
- 1. Press Rights
- 4. Press Rights • Privilege – Fair report – Opinion – Fair comment and criticism • Freedom from Newsroom Searches – Unless you’re suspected of involvement in a crime, destruction of evidence, or someone could be hurt » Harrower P. 140
- 5. Press Rights • Shield Laws – Allow reporters to protect, “shield” their confidential sources and notes; only in 34 (32?) states; no federal courts have shield laws, meaning, reporters choose between revealing their sources or going to jail. (Example: Judith Miller of the NYTimes) Harrower p.140
- 6. • Three key areas: – Open courtrooms – Open meetings – Open records Harrower p.141
- 9. • Open Records – Key questions: – Material such as defense secrets, medical files, and sensitive law-enforcement data are exempt. Who categorizes the information? – Reporters can file a FOIA Request – Freedom of Information Act Harrower p.141
- 10. • Examples of news stories stemming from FOIA requests: – New York Daily News exposes government’s misrepresentation of “Ground Zero” environmental contamination – Dayton Daily News identifies most dangerous workplaces in the country – The money trail: mismanagement of funds for Hurricane Katrina victims (various media) » Source: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- 11. • “Although FOIA is an important source of information, reporters should recognize its limitations. Information obtained through a FOIA request is rarely the story itself. Rather, it can be used to verify other sources and information. Sometimes information obtained from a request can simply identify leads or sources for a story that the reporter later can follow up on in person.” » Source: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press