Hurricane "W": How the Bush Administration has fundamentally changed issues of access, openness and freedom of information     Publisher Lucy A. Dalglish Editor Gregg P. Leslie Managing Editor Kathleen Cullinan Contributors Cristina Abello, Hannah Bergman, Rory Easburg, Samantha Fredrickson, Jason Wiederin, Jordan Zappala 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   Fall 2008    •    Vol. 32, No. 4     In this issue:  Editorial   COMMENTARY Cleaning up after Hurricane “W”  Cover Story   COVER STORY Reeling from Hurricane “W”   FEATURE Behind closed courtroom doors From criminal cases to civil, the Bush administration sought unprecedented levels of secrecy in the courts   FEATURE White House records and the big chill Thousands of e-mail messages within the administration are lost or destroyed, leaving a permanent gap in the historical record   FEATURE Tapping into the reporter’s notebook At the behest of the White House, and with the blessing of Congress, government is now free to listen in on Americans’ foreign phone calls — even without warrants — and reporters are feeling the chill   FEATURE The FCC reaches for the mute button   FEATURE A reporter’s privilege in tatters The number of subpoenas sent to reporters rose exponentially the past eight years, giving new life to the battle for a federal shield law   FEATURE On the states’ side In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the states faced new pressure — externally and internally — to curb their open government laws.  Freedom of Information   FEATURE When an agency isn’t quite an agency Even quasi-governmental entities will often respond to records requests   SIDEBAR Mining for records when open records laws do not apply   COMMENTARY He can take the secrecy when he goes Calling on the new administration to reverse the tide and embrace open governance from day one  From the Hotline   HOTLINE From the Hotline      APPRECIATION Jack Landau, first executive director of the Reporters Committee, ‘First Amendment guerilla,’ dies at 74  Freedom of Information   FEATURE Transparency on the campaign trail Both candidates were cagey with documents, reporters   FEATURE With the power of FOIA A state open-records request unveils the misdeeds of the Detroit mayor  Libel   FEATURE Reporting in the wake of Hatfill Can a chilling effect be detected in how the news media handled the investigation of Bruce Ivins?   FEATURE Lawmakers push back on libel tourism In a growing series of bills stateside, lawmakers are looking to extend the First Amendment to protect American speech in Britain and beyond  Confidentiality/Privilege   FEATURE Guarding the unnamed writers of the Internet As anonymous Web speech proliferates, free-speech law is evolving   COMMENTARY What’s up with Wyoming and the reporter’s privilege?  Secret Courts   FEATURE Sealed in the heart of Texas  Open & Shut   OPEN & SHUT Open & Shut A collection of notable quotations      CITATIONS Sources & Citations