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donal brown

Dentist loses defamation case must pay Yelp and reviewers for legal fees

donal brown May 19, 2011

A California dentist, who sued Yelp and reviewers for a bad review concerning a filling the dentist put into the mouth of the reviewers’ six-year-old son, must pay court costs according to a ruling in district court. A California appellate court ruled last year that Yelp could not be held for defamation because the post was protected under the state’s anti-SLAPP law that protects public discussion of important issues, in this case the presence of

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Federal court says FBI and CIA must produce documents on Oklahoma City bombing sought under FOIA

donal brown May 19, 2011

A federal judge has ordered the FBI and CIA to to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request filed by a attorney seeking documents on the  Oklahoma City bombing. After the bombing, the attorney’s  brother, who sported a dragon tattoo similar to that of an unidentified accomplice in the bombing, was detained in federal prison.  Authorities said he committed suicide in solitary confinement. -db From the Courthouse News Service, May 18, 2011, by Jonny

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Federal appeals court affirms access to sentencing of criminals

donal brown May 19, 2011

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the press and public have a First Amendment right to attend the sentencing of a criminal defendant. The court also said that there must be public notice and a chance for the public to comment before the sentencing. The court noted that there was a long history of opening sentencing including high-profile cases and said that there were significant benefits such as  increasing public

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California: St. Helena newspaper holding city council to account on open meeting issues

donal brown May 19, 2011

The St. Helena Star is alleging that the St. Helena City Council has once again violated California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act, by not posting their discussion of compensation for former City Manager, Mary Neilan. The council held a closed door meeting to discuss Neilan’s no-cause firing and negotiated a severance package and confidentiality clause. The agenda for the meeting did not mention that compensation was under discussion. -db From the St. Helena Star,

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Small market newspapers tapping into online subscription revenue

donal brown May 17, 2011

A study from the University of Missouri shows that 46 percent of newspapers with circulations under 25,00o are charging for online news. The newspapers are using innovative packages to prevent readers from abandoning print subscriptions and to glean another source of revenue. The Columbian (Mo.) Daily  Tribune reported that ad revenues were up 25 percent over last year and that the revenue from online subscriptions was enough to pay the salaries of a few reporters.

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