Secret Pleas: Does a site that outs “rats” in the justice system justify secret plea agreements?     Publisher Lucy A. Dalglish Editor Gregg P. Leslie Managing Editor Kathleen Cullinan Contributors Scott Albright, Miranda Fleschert, Stacey Laskin, Matthew Pollack, Virgie Townsend Administration Lois Lloyd, Victor Gaberman, Maria Gowen RCFP Steering Committee Dan Abrams, MSNBC Scott Applewhite, The Associated Press Chip Bok, Akron Beacon Journal Earl Caldwell, Pacifica Radio Walter Cronkite, CBS News Richard S. Dunham, Houston Chronicle Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes Magazine Steve Geimann, Bloomberg News Fred Graham, Court TV John C. Henry, The Associated Press Nat Hentoff, The Village Voice Stephen Labaton, The New York Times Neil Lewis, The New York Times Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Tony Mauro, Legal Times Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times Eunice Moscoso, Cox Newspapers Sandra Peddie, Newsday Dana Priest, The Washington Post Dan Rather, HDNet Cristine Russell, Freelance Tim Russert, NBC News Bob Schieffer, CBS News Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal Saundra Torry, USA Today Vickie Walton-James, Tribune Publishing Judy Woodruff, PBS/The News Hour Affiliations appear for purposes of identification. The Reporters Committee would like to thank The Associated Press for permission to use photos from its files. © 2008 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   Summer 2008    •    Vol. 32, No. 3     In this issue:  Editorial   COMMENTARY Time is running out on a shield bill  Cover Story   FEATURE Secret Plea Agreements A controversial Web site has prompted federal district courts to close off avenues of access to criminal plea agreements, leaving reporters scrambling to find what was previously readily available information.   FEATURE Shrouded in the jury box   COMMENTARY Keeping the federal courts open The federal judiciary has been coming up on the wrong side on openness issues lately, but it’s up to reporters to make the case for greater access to information.      APPRECIATION Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, steering committee member, dies  Confidentiality/Privilege   FEATURE Shield law down, but not out Free Flow of Information Act falls victim to energy bill stand-off   FEATURE The Waiting Game Reporter Toni Locy eagerly awaits an appeals court decision  Newsgathering   FEATURE Reporters beware at upcoming conventions   FEATURE Airport searches of computers concern reporters  Freedom of Information   FEATURE Flying to the Highest Court Aviation enthusiast secures right for FOIA requesters to litigate similar denials.   FEATURE FOIA reforms still leave some holding the tab   FEATURE An Opportunity Lost   COMMENTARY Consistently Inconsistent As the Reporters Committee attempts to navigate access to the U.S. military courts, it becomes clear that nothing is clear.  From the Hotline   HOTLINE From the Hotline The Reporters Committee operates a toll-free hotline for journalists with questions about free press and freedom of information issues. In this column, our attorneys discuss the latest hot-topic questions.  Prior Restraints   FEATURE Protective orders in pretrial discovery phase keep journalists unplugged   FEATURE Hiding the dirty laundry Lawyers are increasingly pushing to seal high-profile divorce cases, at the expense of public openness and accountability  Libel   FEATURE Absence of malice? Criminal libel statutes still threaten free speech      FEATURE Pulitzer Power Prize-winning stories show importance of access laws, press protections  Open & Shut   Open & Shut A collection of notable quotations      Sources & Citations