Volume 13, Number 1
Below is the Table of Contents for the Fall 2007 edition of the Silha Bulletin. Click on the title to read the full article.
Bulletin Fall 2007
Volume 13, Number 1
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Cover Story: Reporters Ordered to Testify and Reveal Government Sources in Hatfill Case
Two federal district judges have ordered six journalists to disclose their confidential government sources in Dr. Steven J. Hatfill’s federal Privacy Act lawsuit against the government.
Reporter Privilege News: House Passes Federal Reporter Shield Law
On Oct. 16, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Free Flow of Information Act, a bill that would establish for the first time a federal privilege for reporters and their confidential sources.
Reporter Privilege News: Judge Rules Reporters Need Not Testify in Murder Case
A State Supreme Court judge in Brooklyn, N.Y. ruled on Sept. 12, 2007, that two newspaper reporters will not be compelled to testify in a murder case against the parents of the victim.
Reporter Privilege News: Reporters Arrested, Released after Printing ‘Grand Jury Secrets’
The founders of The Phoenix New Times, an alternative weekly newspaper, were arrested Oct. 18, 2007 for publishing a story about an ongoing grand jury investigation.
Media Access/FOIA: California High Court Decision a Win for Public Access to Government Employees’ Salaries
California’s highest court ruled Aug. 17, 2007 that public employees have no reasonable expectation of privacy in their annual salaries, limiting two lower court decisions that had raised questions about whether salary information was public.
Media Access/FOIA: Minnesota Considers Cameras in Trial Courtrooms
The Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on General Rules of Practice considered a proposal to improve electronic media access to courtrooms at two meetings this fall.
Media Access/FOIA: Court Access: Federal Law Would Allow Cameras in U.S. Courts
The House Judiciary Committee passed the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act (H.R. 2128) Oct. 22, 2007, despite a lukewarm reception from federal judges and prosecutors at a September 27 committee hearing..
Media Access/FOIA: Court Access: Connecticut Newspaper Publishes Details About Jurors Defends Its Decision
The (Bridgport) Connecticut Post has defended itself against criticism for publishing personal information about 18 jurors and alternates in a story about a high profile murder case in the region.
Media Access/FOIA: Court Rules President Johnson’s CIA Briefings Can Remain Secret
A federal appeals court ruled on Sept. 4, 2007, that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) may refuse to grant public access to briefings it gave to President Johnson over 40 years ago.
Media Access/FOIA: Two States Propose Changes to Access to Prisons for Media
Prison officials in California and Rhode Island have proposed new regulations that would significantly alter the news media’s access to prison inmates in their respective states.
Media Access/FOIA: New CIA Rules for FOIA Fees Give Bloggers a Price Break
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced effective July 18, 2007 that when processing Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests, it would redefine the term “news media” to include bloggers.
Media Access/FOIA: Off-the-Record NSA Seminars Meant to Help Reporters Keep National Security Secrets
The National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly hosted “off-the-record” seminars for journalists between 2002 and 2004 to limit intelligence leaks and to caution reporters about revealing information about the agency’s electronic surveillance work.
Media Access/FOIA: News Organizations Fight Limits on Access to Sports Events
News organizations are battling for the ability to report independently and objectively as major sporting events have sought tighter control over coverage and placed limits on news gathering.
Media Access/FOIA: Illinois Press Association Sues High School Sports Association Over Image Controls
The Illinois Press Association (IPA) filed a lawsuit against the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) on Nov. 1, 2007 over new rules that limit access for photographers at the Illinois High School state football tournament and limit the use of the images from state sports tournament events.
FCC News: FCC Fines ‘Fake News’ Produced by Undisclosed Sponsors
For the first time ever, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed fines against a cable television company for failing to disclose to viewers that segments it aired as news were actually produced by corporations.
FCC News: Cable Companies Fined for Airing Paid-for Punditry
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed fines totaling $76,000 against two cable companies for failing to disclose that segments they aired featuring conservative pundit Armstrong Williams had been sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
Media and the Iraq War: Truth of ‘Baghdad Diarist’ Stories Challenged
The New Republic has said it stands behind most of the claims made by its “Baghdad Diarist,” an American soldier in Iraq writing under a pseudonym, despite a proven mistake, military denials, and criticism from conservative bloggers.
Media and the Iraq War: U.S. Confiscates AP Footage at Scene of Baghdad Bombing, Detains Photographer, Citing Iraqi Law
The U.S. military detained Associated Press (AP) photographer Ayad M. Abd Ali Oct. 3, 2007, and held him handcuffed and blindfolded for 40 minutes after he was found filming the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baghdad.
Privacy: Ohio Supreme Court Recognizes False Light Claim
A dispute between neighbors led the Ohio Supreme Court to recognize the tort of false light invasion of privacy June 6, 2007.
Defamation/Libel: Illinois Paper Apologizes, Settles Civil Rights Suit Against State Chief Justice Who Sued It for Libel
An Illinois community newspaper and the state high court’s chief justice struck a settlement agreement Oct. 10, 2007 over a libel suit, under which the newspaper apologized, agreed to drop a federal civil rights suit it had filed, and will pay a reduced award of $3 million to the judge.
Defamation/Libel: ‘Libel Tourism’ Suit Leads Publisher to Destroy Book on Terrorism Funding, Pay Damages and Apologize
British Libel laws that favor plaintiffs led one publisher to destroy unsold copies of a book about terrorism financing and to ask librarians to pull it from shelves despite the authors’ complaints that “libel tourism” will chill important scholarship.
Defamation/Libel: British Court Extends ‘Reynolds Privilege’ to Publishers
The British Court of Appeal for England and Wales extended qualified protection from libel suits for the authors and publishers of books on Oct. 11, 2007, ruling that they enjoy a qualified privilege so long as they act responsibly.
Defamation/Libel: Time Magazine Contests Defamation Ruling for Former Indonesian Dictator
Lawyers for Time magazine said they will contest a $106 million libel judgment handed down by Indonesia’s highest court to former dictator Suharto Aug. 31, 2007.
Endangered Journalists: Newspaper Settles Dispute Over Seizure of Newsroom Computer and Equipment
Police in New Castle, Pa. seized a computer and several recording devices from the New Castle News on July 25, 2007, saying they were used to record telephone conversations illegally with two local public officials.
Endangered Journalists: China Failing to Deliver on Pre-Olympics Press Freedom Promises According to NGO’s Reports
China promised foreign journalists more freedom to report this year in the prelude to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but recent reports issued by human rights organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International conclude that these promises remain largely unfulfilled.
Endangered Journalists: Russia: Politkovskaya Investigation Continues; Reporter Detained for Alleged Extortion
The media’s relationship with the government in Russia remains uneasy.
Endangered Journalists: International Roundup: China, Burma, Zimbabwe, Iran
Zhao Yan, a Chinese research assistant for The New York Times, was released from prison in China in September 2007 after serving three years for a fraud conviction.
Copyright: Artists Challenge Copyright Extension Law
A recent decision in the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals may have provided a reprieve for artists, musical conductors, and educators affected by two federal statutes passed in the 1990s which extended copyright protection to works formerly in the public domain and resulted in hefty rental fees.
Copyright: Music Industry Wins First Internet Piracy Case
A jury levied a $222,000 fine against a Brainerd, Minn. woman on Oct. 5, 2007 in the first-ever trial over the downloading and sharing of copyrighted music.
Media Ethics: Star Tribune Publisher Barred for One Year, Unlikely to Return
Ramsey County (Minn.) Judge David C. Higgs ruled Sept. 18, 2007 that publisher Par Ridder must leave the Minneapolis Star Tribune for one year.
Media Ethics: Senator Craig Airport Scandal Prompts Questions of Journalism Ethics in Covering Politicians’ Personal Lives
The scandal surrounding Sen. Larry Craig’s arrest and guilty plea on disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport restroom led some to raise ethics questions about media coverage of politicians’ personal lives.
Media Ethics: News Consultant Linked to Bogus Interviews
A frequently-cited expert source on terrorism and national security and former consultant to ABC News was discredited after interviews with a host of high-profile figures he had contributed to a French political magazine were proven to be fakes.
Media Ethics: FEMA Holds Press Conference . . . For Itself
A press conference the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held on Oct. 23, 2007 praising its own response to the wildfires in Southern California lacked a key attendee: the press.
Media Ethics: Mohammed Cartoons Draw International Ire
The publication of cartoons featuring the Muslim prophet Mohammed led to death threats against a cartoonist and editor in Sweden and landed several journalists in Algerian court.
Media Ethics: Cartoonists Cause Community Controversy Across the Country
In September and October 2007, cartoons in one city newspaper and three student newspapers were called offensive for their content and messages.
Silha Events: 2007 Silha Lecture Focuses on Media Violence Regulation
Attempts to legislate violence on television and video games are likely to continue, even though “the kids are all right,” according to the 2007 Silha Lecturer.