The News Media and The Law

Disclosure of gun permits leads to backlash on access

Federal FOIA Appeals Guide now online

The Reporters Committee introduces a comprehensive, online guide to appealing federal Freedom of Information Act requests to help journalists navigate the administrative process.

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RT @sunshineingov: Livestock owners' "phone directory" info should not be covered with blanket of secrecy http://t.co/QYhFmpi9DU #opengov
Courant: Secret #Connecticut bill would keep many #Newtown investigation records from public http://t.co/2r3pRapgv0 #foia #opengov
Good analysis RT @sunshineingov: CBO releases cost estimate on #FOIA bill, but doesn't address savings http://t.co/edm3e1aPD4

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Media organizations call on Justice Department to mitigate damage from broad subpoena of journalists' phone records. (AP photo)
Appellate court rules Osama bin Laden death photos can be withheld under FOIA
05/22/2013
Photographs and video taken as part of the U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden were properly withheld under the federal Freedom of Information Act because their disclosure could incite violence against American interests abroad, a federal...
Justice search warrant relied on "probable cause" of criminal conduct by Fox News journalist
05/22/2013
By labeling a Fox News reporter as a "co-conspirator" to a violation of the Espionage Act, the Department of Justice was able to obtain a secret search warrant in 2010 for the reporter's e-mail, under an exception to the federal...
Statement of Reporters Committee's Bruce Brown on Justice Department investigations of journalists
05/21/2013
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Executive Director Bruce Brown issued the following statement today following revelations that the U.S. Department of Justice executed a search warrant for e-mail communications between Fox News reporter...
Reporters Committee and 42 news organizations argue that New York law should protect reporter in Colorado shooting case
05/17/2013
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, joined by 42 other news organizations and associations, argued in a friend-of-the-court brief that a New York court should not have allowed a Colorado subpoena to be served on a Fox News reporter in...
D.C. appeals court issues redacted opinion in sealed corruption case
05/16/2013
A federal appeals court unsealed a redacted version of an opinion Thursday in a high-profile but secretive Washington, D.C. corruption case, in response to a letter from the Reporters Committee.

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The Place to Start

The Digital Journalist's Legal Guide has the answers and links to Reporters Committee resources for all your questions about the legal issues involved in gathering and disseminating news.

FOIA Services

Find everything you need to file a public record request, including the Reporters Committtee Automatic FOIA Letter Generator, our federal and state Open Government Guides, and our Federal FOIA Appeals Guide.

 

 

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