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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
Journalist settles with city of Pittsburgh over wrongful arrest during G-20 summit in 2009
July 31, 2012
The city of Pittsburgh settled a federal lawsuit with a journalist who claimed he was arrested and wrongfully detained under harsh conditions for 12 hours after covering protests of the Group of 20 economic summit three years ago.
Temporary ordinance in Florida bans items used by journalists
July 30, 2012
Media lawyers are concerned about a temporary ordinance that, among other things, bans certain items, such as gas masks, during the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
Ill. judge declares state's eavesdropping law unconstitutional
July 30, 2012
An Illinois judge ruled last week that the state’s eavesdropping law – one of the broadest restrictions on audio recording in the nation – is unconstitutional.
N.Y. police violated journalists' rights during protests, says lawyer's group report
July 27, 2012
A nearly 200-page independent oversight report released by a group of human rights lawyers this week found that New York police officers often violated the rights of journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests and arrested at least 18 of them.
Ohio Supreme Court orders unsealing of records in high-profile criminal prosecution
July 27, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court ordered a judge to release all records sealed during the criminal prosecutions of several Mahoning County officials and business owners. The state high court also prohibited the judge from issuing further orders sealing records in the high-profile criminal-conspiracy case. “We decide this case based on the Rules of Superintendence, which provide for public access to court records,” according to the opinion issued Wednesday.
Judge denies media's request to film and photograph Monday's hearing of Colorado shooting suspect
July 27, 2012
A Colorado judge denied the media's request to film and photograph Monday's hearing of the man accused of killing 12 and wounding 58 people at an Aurora movie theater last week. Arapahoe County District Court Judge William Sylvester has ordered that no cameras or audio recording be allowed at James Holmes' July 30 hearing where charges are expected to be filed against him. The order is part of a broader trend of restrictions issued by Sylvester limiting press coverage in the Colorado shooting.
N.H. blogger charged with felony wiretapping could receive 21-year prison sentence
July 25, 2012
A New Hampshire man is facing up to 21 years in prison if convicted of illegally recording telephone conversations with a high-ranking police official and two school employees. The jury selection for the trial of blogger and self-proclaimed activist Adam Mueller is scheduled for Aug. 6 at the Hillsborough County Superior Court. Prosecutor Michael Valentine said in an interview that Mueller faces the maximum penalty of 3.5 to 7 years in prison for each of the charges against him.
Teen sexual assault victim who identified juvenile attackers will not be charged for contempt
July 24, 2012
In the backdrop of mounting media attention, the attorneys for two boys withdrew their motion on Monday to charge a 17-year-old Kentucky teenager for contempt after she potentially violated a court order by identifying them on Twitter as her attackers in a juvenile sexual assault case. “There you go, lock me up,” Savannah Dietrich tweeted when she named the teens who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her. “I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell.”
New general order by D.C. police follows U.S. justice department guidelines for recording police activity
July 24, 2012
The Washington, D.C., chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union dropped a case Monday against the Metropolitan Police Department after the police chief signed a new general order reminding officers that “photography, including videotaping of places, buildings, structures and events are common and lawful activities" in the district.
Reporters question Pentagon's harsher approach to national security leaks
July 23, 2012
The Pentagon Press Association is awaiting a response to a letter submitted to the Pentagon outlining journalists' concerns over the U.S. Department of Defense's new policy for countering national security leaks. The organization submitted a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, seeking clarification on the statement the Pentagon released last week instilling new procedures for handling leaks, including officials being more vigilant monitoring the media.
A legal guide for reporters covering the Colorado shooting
July 20, 2012
On Friday morning, the nation awoke to breaking news about a mass murder at a movie theater. Twelve people were dead and possibly up to 40 adults and children injured after a gunman entered the midnight showing of the new Batman movie and opened fire on the crowd with three weapons -- including an AK-47, according to news reports.
Federal judge orders unsealing of documents in ongoing Apple-Samsung patent litigation
July 20, 2012
A California federal court has ordered documents in a legal battle over smart phones and tablets unsealed -- a departure from the marked increase in the number of civil cases completely or partially sealed in courts nationwide.
Federal court denies motion to dismiss anti-SLAPP appeal
July 20, 2012
An appeal in a defamation case against the late journalist Andrew Breitbart will proceed after a federal appeals court denied a motion to have it dismissed. Shirley Sherrod, a former official in the Obama administration, sued Breitbart last year, alleging that two writers from his website, BigGovernment.com, defamed her in a YouTube video, which she said unfairly edited a speech she made. Breitbart, a known conservative commentator, died in March.
University of Iowa sexual assault records to remain private
July 16, 2012
Documents related to the 2007 sexual assault arrests of two University of Iowa football players will remain private, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision Friday.
DOJ responds to concerns over attorney's attempt to halt reporting at public meeting
July 13, 2012
The U.S. Department of Justice reaffirmed in a letter this week that public meetings are open to the press, after accusations that one of its attorneys told a Louisiana reporter that he could not quote or record her during a public meeting, citing "special rules."