Nebulous Standards of Secrecy     Publisher Lucy A. Dalglish Editor Gregg P. Leslie Managing Editor Kirsten B. Mitchell Contributors Amanda Buck, Susan Burgess, Casey Murray, Krista Vaught, Corinna Zarek Administration Lois Lloyd, Victor Gaberman, Maria Gowen RCFP Steering Committee Dan Abrams, MSNBC Scott Applewhite, The Associated Press Charles R. Babcock, The Washington Post Chip Bok, Akron Beacon Journal Earl Caldwell, Pacifica Radio Rebecca Carr, Cox Newspapers Walter Cronkite, CBS News Richard S. Dunham, Business Week Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes Magazine Stephen Geimann, Bloomberg News Fred Graham, Court TV Stephen Henderson, Knight-Ridder John C. Henry, The Associated Press Nat Hentoff, The Village Voice Edward H. Kohn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Stephen Labaton, The New York Times Tony Mauro, American Laywer Media Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times Wilson F. Minor, Factual Reporting Service Sandra Peddie, Newsday Dan Rather, CBS News Cristine Russell, Freelance Tim Russert, NBC News Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal Carole Simpson, ABC News Saundra Torry, USA Today Vickie Walton-James, Tribune Publishing Judy Woodruff, CNN Affiliations appear for purposes of identification. The Reporters Committee would like to thank The Associated Press for permission to use photos from its files. © 2006 by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Published four times a year. Price: $7.50 per issue. Address correspondence to: The News Media and The Law 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 Telephone: (703) 807-2100 Internet: www.rcfp.org E-mail: rcfp@rcfp.org ISSN: 0149-0737

The News Media & The Law   Spring 2006    •    Vol. 30, No. 2     In this issue:  Editorial   PREFERRED POSITION Courage in difficult times  Cover Story   FEATURE The Big Chill An Espionage Act case in a Virginia federal court exposes the murky standards governing national security discussions.   SIDEBAR The vagueness of the Espionage Act   SIDEBAR Judge Ellis' jurisprudence   SIDEBAR Scaling Back Excessive classification has the attention of the nation's archivist and some in Congress, who are fighting to curb the trend.   FEATURE Handling classified documents When journalists obtain classified documents while reporting the news, there's no easy answer on how to handle them.   FEATURE Partial fix D.C. federal court acknowledges existence of sealed cases, but finding them requires search for gaps in docket.   SIDEBAR Reporting tips   SIDEBAR The AP's request   SIDEBAR An oft-cited case   SIDEBAR Sunshine state secrecy Shoe leather and a break helped The Miami Herald report on more than 100 cases that vanished from the public docket in five years.  Freedom of Information   FEATURE Abu Ghraib appeal dropped The government's authentication of the Abu Ghraib abuse photos coincided with the announcement that more images exist and should be kept secret.  Confidentiality/Privilege   FEATURE A tale of two shields A reporter's shield bill flies through the Connecticut Legislature, while a similar bill in Washington state goes down in flames.  Broadcasting   FEATURE Not ready for prime time Despite growing support for cameras in the nation's high court, many justices cite anonymity, court mystique as reasons for shuttering cameras.   SIDEBAR In their own words   SIDEBAR Would cameras change the court?   FEATURE Indecent fines A coalition of broadcasters has appealed indecency fines, saying they violate the First Amendment.  From the Hotline   HOTLINE From the Hotline  Libel   FEATURE Deliberately secret A ruling allowing a judicial deliberation privilege in Illinois libel cases could negatively affect journalists covering courts.  Prior Restraints   FEATURE Administrative obstruction of justice In Colorado state courts and a federal court in Virginia, administrative burdens are being used to justify partial or full closure of records.      THE LAST WORD Open & Shut A recent collection of funny, fascinating, nonsensical or just notable newsworthy quotations      Sources & Citations