From Reporter Committee for Freedom of the Press: In response to the recent controversy about The Associated Press phone records subpoena, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that would expand the existing shield law for the state’s journalists.
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Read More… from California expands journalist shield law, requires third-party subpoena notification
From First Amendment Coalition: Long gone are the days when major newspapers and network news operations had the power, through their selection of stories, to set the political agenda. That's a change for the better, to be sure. But the best of the ancient media regime are still peerless in their ability to compel change in the actions of the people and institutions they report on.
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From StatesmanJournal.com: We’re all facing a tough decision by Congress later this year — and it’s not about the federal budget or national health care policy.
A question that ultimately will affect us all involves a bill with the innocuous name “Free Flow of Information Act.” In other words, it’s a proposal to create — for the first time legislatively — a national “shield law” aimed at protecting news sources and the confidential information they have provided from having to be disclosed by journalists facing a subpoena or federal grand jury.
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Read More… from Gene Policinski: Tough decision ahead for all on ‘shield law’ definition
From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.
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Read More… from NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 4, 2013
From NFOIC executive director Ken Bunting: The Knight Foundation has announced the latest winners in its Knight Community Information Challenge. This is an important ongoing partnership. Congratulations to the winning projects, and thanks to Knight and the community foundations around the country that are supporting them.
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Read More… from Latest winners in the Knight Community Information Challenge
From Talking Points Memo: WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel on Thursday approved a measure defining a journalist, which had been an obstacle to broader media shield legislation designed to protect reporters and the news media from having to reveal their sources.
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Read More… from Senate panel approves definition of ‘journalist’
From Claremore Daily Progress: Rogers County Clerk Robin Anderson is accusing a Claremore Daily Progress reporter of harassing her and her staff in a confrontation over public records.
Anderson called the sheriff’s office on Aug. 14 to complain that reporter Salesha Wilken created a disturbance in her office that afternoon.
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Read More… from Rogers County (Ok.) clerk accuses Progress reporter of harassment
From Jason Leopold at Public Record: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicated that the FBI has likely located responsive records pertaining to investigative journalist Michael Hastings, who died in a tragic car accident in Los Angeles in June, and the agency expects to finish processing the records in about three weeks.
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Read More… from DOJ: FBI has started to process Michael Hastings documents
From Watchdog.org: The most recent congressional threat to the free press in the United States comes from California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
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Read More… from Sen. Feinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist
From Yahoo! News: The Senate Free Flow of Information Act of 2013 would establish a national “shield law” that would give journalists protection from testifying in situations when investigators want the sources of confidential information used in media reports.
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Read More… from Senators ponder if bloggers deserve First Amendment protection
