Everything online journalists need to protect their legal rights. This free resource culls from all Reporters Committee resources and includes exclusive content on digital media law issues.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco (9th Cir.) struck down the 2006 Stolen Valor Act, which criminalizes lying about the receipt of military honors, on First Amendment grounds. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case--which involves a California man who, despite never serving in the military, stated at a municipal water board meeting that he had served in the armed forces for almost three decades and received a Medal of Honor--and decide whether the statute is constitutional. The Reporters Committee and 23 news media organizations argued that punishing false speech would eviscerate press freedom by marking a return to the post-World War I days, when the government was able to convict newspaper publishers and others for allegedly false news reports.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco (9th Cir.) struck down the 2006 Stolen Valor Act, which criminalizes lying about the receipt of military honors, on First Amendment grounds. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case--which involves a California man who, despite never serving in the military, stated at a municipal water board meeting that he had served in the armed forces for almost three decades and received a Medal of Honor--and decide whether the statute is constitutional. The Reporters Committee and 23 news media organizations argued that punishing false speech would eviscerate press freedom by marking a return to the post-World War I days, when the government was able to convict newspaper publishers and others for allegedly false news reports.