Newsgathering

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.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in the coming days on a controversial intelligence authorization bill, which was passed in a closed senate committee session last week. Journalists and advocates of government transparency are lobbying in opposition of the bill, which contains anti-leak provisions that could severely hinder the newsgathering process.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two Kentucky newspapers earned a victory in a lengthy legal battle with child welfare officials this week when a state appellate court ruled that records relating to child abuse cases that resulted in death or near-fatal injuries must continue to be publicly disclosed.

The federal government asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces on Monday to become the third court to deny the public access to military court documents in the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning. The government’s argument: the Freedom of Information Act is the proper method to obtain the materials.

Disregarding appeals made by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press on behalf of nearly 50 news media organizations and the Senate Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Supreme Court did not allow live video or audio coverage in the courtroom today, when it announced its historic decision upholding President Obama’s health care overhaul law.