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Digital Journalist's Legal Guide
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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.

News

Format: 2013-05-06
Format: 2013-05-06
Federal appeals court affirms dismissal of libel, privacy suit filed over book
November 30, 1993
Federal appeals court affirms dismissal of libel, privacy suit filed over book 11/30/1993 ILLINOIS -- In early November the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago (7th Cir.) affirmed the dismissal of a defamation and invasion of privacy suit brought against the author and publisher of a 1991 book about the migration of black Americans from the South to the North.
Court strikes down indecency regulation
November 30, 1993
Court strikes down indecency regulation 11/30/1993 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Cir.) for the third time since 1987 threw out Federal Communications Commission rules requiring that indecency be broadcast only during limited "safe harbor" hours that the court said not only protected children but also unnecessarily prohibited adult access to indecency in violation of the First Amendment.
Texas high court won't revive suit against Phil Donahue for invasion of privacy
November 30, 1993
Texas high court won't revive suit against Phil Donahue for invasion of privacy 11/30/1993 TEXAS -- In mid-November the Texas Supreme Court in Austin refused to hear an appeal from a mother and son whose invasion of privacy claim against Phil Donahue's talk show was rejected by the state's lower courts.
Georgia court opens student judiciary records
November 30, 1993
Georgia court opens student judiciary records 11/30/1993 GEORGIA -- In early November, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that individual student judiciary records are open to the public. The decision was a victory for the campus newspaper at the University of Georgia at Athens and a defeat for an anonymous student known as John Doe in court records.
Wisconsin appeals court allows publication of 'dangerous' juvenile's name
November 30, 1993
Wisconsin appeals court allows publication of 'dangerous' juvenile's name 11/30/1993 WISCONSIN -- A trial judge may publicize the name of a 14-year-old suspect he considered "dangerous" to help police find the youth. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals in Milwaukee held in mid-November that the juvenile's right to confidentiality was outweighed by public safety concerns and his need for treatment.
Portions of gun license applications open, Pennsylvania appeals court rules
November 30, 1993
Portions of gun license applications open, Pennsylvania appeals court rules 11/30/1993 PENNSYLVANIA -- The public has a limited right to learn about information on firearm license applications, a Pennsylvania appellate court ruled in early November.
Council boards up press building
November 30, 1993
Council boards up press building 11/30/1993 MONTANA -- In late November, construction workers boarded up a building that housed offices used by the publisher of a small newspaper, effectively locking him out, after he questioned activities of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, the building's owner.
Afghan guerrillas release AP reporter
November 30, 1993
Afghan guerrillas release AP reporter 11/30/1993 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hezb-e-Islami guerrillas in Afghanistan released two journalists, one of whom is American, in mid-November after holding them for a week. U.S. officials, in contact with the Afghan Embassy in Washington and with Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan, pressed for the reporters' freedom, and U.S. officials reported they were being well-treated.
Judge refuses to clarify probation provision that bars former fugitive from 'profiting'
November 30, 1993
Judge refuses to clarify probation provision that bars former fugitive from 'profiting' 11/30/1993 MASSACHUSETTS -- On October 29 a state court judge denied former fugitive Katherine Power's request for clarification of a condition of her probation that prohibits her from receiving "profit or benefit" from telling her story. Power, a fugitive for 23 years, was wanted for her role a 1970 bank robbery in which a Boston police officer was killed. She surrendered to authorities in September.
New rules make complaints by citizens against lawyers open to public in Vermont
November 30, 1993
New rules make complaints by citizens against lawyers open to public in Vermont 11/30/1993 VERMONT -- Under new rules issued by the state's Supreme Court, complaints by citizens against lawyers are now public as soon as the Professional Conduct Board notifies the attorney that he or she faces charges.
Judge backs down on order to remove newsracks
November 16, 1993
Judge backs down on order to remove newsracks 11/16/1993 FLORIDA -- A county judge who ordered the removal of 17 news racks because he said they were "unsightly," in early November allowed them to remain if they were moved 25 feet down the sidewalk from the court house.
Montana governor opens cabinet meetings
November 16, 1993
Montana governor opens cabinet meetings 11/16/1993 MONTANA -- Montana Gov. Marc Racicot announced in early November that all his meetings with cabinet officers, including meetings with only some cabinet officers, will be open to the public. Under the new policy, the governor's meetings will be closed only if there is a compelling need to protect some person's privacy.
State appeals court upholds judge's order barring reports on juvenile records
November 16, 1993
State appeals court upholds judge's order barring reports on juvenile records 11/16/1993 MINNESOTA -- The Minnesota Court of Appeals in St. Paul ruled in early November that a trial judge was correct in restricting journalists from reporting the juvenile records and names of three girls who were allegedly molested by an employee of a state youth ranch for troubled teen-agers.
City council members fined for violations
November 16, 1993
City council members fined for violations 11/16/1993 MINNESOTA -- Four members of the Hibbing City Council, including the mayor, must pay hundreds of dollars in fines and attorneys fees for violating the state's open meetings law, the state's appeals court ruled in late October. However the court rejected an appeal by several of the town's residents that the officials should be removed from office for repeated violations of the law.
Judge issues opinion affirming $34 million libel award
November 16, 1993
Judge issues opinion affirming $34 million libel award 11/16/1993 PENNSYLVANIA -- In late October a state judge in Philadelphia issued a 170-page opinion upholding a $34 million libel award against the Philadelphia Inquirer in a long-running suit by Richard A. Sprague, a former prosecutor.