Kansas

An amendment to Kansas court rules now lets journalists use laptops and cell phones to report from the courtroom.

Reporters still need permission from the presiding judge, but the recent amendment to Rule 1001 clarifies that such devices may be used by journalists. Before the amendment was added, there was no mention of laptops or smartphones in the rule, and judges assumed such devices were not permitted, according to court spokesman Ron Keefover.

A Kansas judge declared a mistrial in a murder case after a reporter tweeted a photograph containing the profile of a juror.

In a victory for the state’s five-month-old shield law, a Kansas trial court ruled Tuesday that a reporter for The Wichita Eagle does not have to provide the names of confidential sources in a lawsuit involving the accidental death of a child last March, the Eagle reported.

A U.S. district judge in Kansas refused last week to quash a subpoena issued to a human rights group and an author who claimed a First Amendment-based reporter’s privilege in objecting to turning over research notes that included witness accounts of the Rwandan genocide.

The Kansas Supreme Court last week overturned a $250,000 libel award levied against a Wichita broadcaster and its news director after the station erroneously reported that a man was a suspect in what is known as the BTK murders, The Associated Press reported.

Kansas became the 38th state to pass a state shield law for reporters today when Gov. Mark Parkinson signed the pending legislation, The Associated Press reported.

The law will take effect upon publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

The Kansas Legislature passed a state shield law for reporters on Tuesday night that will now go to Gov. Mark Parkinson for his signature.

Both chambers of the Legislature approved the measure to provide Kansas reporters with a qualified reporter's privilege by an overwhelming margin -- the Senate voted 39-1 and the House 116-3.

The Kansas Senate has voted in favor of a state shield law that protects journalists from the forced disclosure of private newsgathering materials, The Associated Press reported.

The bill will now go to the state House for consideration. If enacted, it would protect confidential sources and unpublished notes.