firstamendment

National First Amendment News San Francisco Chronicle New chapter in battle of words over tracking terrorist financing to House plans debate to praise program, snipe at exposers Associated Press Information requests take longer for answer USA Today Tax dollars to fund study on restricting public data Editorials New York Times When do we publish a secret? Wall Street Journal Fit and unfit to print Chicago Tribune The Press vs. the Government Baltimore Sun On 40th

New Study Finds Commercial Uses of Federal FOI Outpace Requests by Journalists, non-profits and all Others July 3, 2006 CJOG–The federal Freedom of Information Act, which turns 40 on Tuesday, July 4, is a critical tool for businesses seeking government information and companies conducting competitive research. A new analysis of FOIA use showed that about two-thirds of the requests to 20 departments and agencies were from commercial requesters. The study also showed FOIA use by

Thanks to AG’s threats to indict press in leak cases, reporters need not rely on 1st Amendment to protect sources. They can take the Fifth. By Peter Scheer Our Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, has stated publicly that he believes journalists may be prosecuted under federal espionage laws for publishing articles based on leaks of classified information. The comments, in an ABC News interview, were directed at the New York Times (for its disclosures about NSA’s

Why the doom-and-gloom about the settlement in the Wen Ho Lee case? Under the circumstances, this deal is a victory for the press By Peter Scheer “Deeply troubling.” “Profoundly disturbing.” “A huge disappointment.” So intoned various media law mavens in lamenting the decision of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Washington Post and Associated Press to join in a settlement of an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by Wen Ho Lee, an

Wanted by the FBI: Journalists’ phone records showing calls to and from confidential sources. By Peter Scheer Last week two reporters for ABC News reported that the FBI had secretly obtained their phone records—showing whom they had called and who had called them—in order to identify a confidential source as part of an apparent leak investigation. Neither ABC nor the reporters, Brian Ross and Richard Esposito, had an opportunity to go to court and try