First Amendment News

London’s Daily Telegraph used computer records to probe the spending of British politicians leading to the exposure of dubious practices of both Labor and Conservative members of Parliament and the ousting of the speaker of the House of Commons. -DB New York Times May 19, 2009 By John F. Burns LONDON — It began modestly enough back in 2005, when an American freelance writer and journalism teacher living in London, Heather Brooke, entered a request

An elementary school principal banned a report on gay leader Harvey Milk from the classroom, saying it was “sensitive” and came under the school’s controversial issue policy. The ACLU says the act was one of blatant censorship and threatened a lawsuit. -DB San Diego 6 (XETV-TV) May 20, 2009 By Elex Michaelson “I’m Harvey Milk, and I’m here to recruit you!” That line was Harvey Milk’s signature at the beginning of every speech. When 6th

Although the Obama administration has established a web site, Recovery.gov, to help the public track government stimulus money, it may never deliver the transparency originally promised. The administration is now looking for ways to require detailed reports from those receiving federal contracts. -DB The Washington Post May 21, 2009 By Alec MacGillis Shortly after the economic stimulus bill was signed, Vice President Biden was talking up the administration’s Web site to track the spending, Recovery.gov,

President Barack Obama announced that the government is reviewing current policies of agencies responsible for classifying documents. Long overdue, the review is expected to eliminate obsolete rules and put the skids on overclassification. -DB Secrecy News Federation of American Scientists May 21, 2009 “We are launching a review of current policies by all of those agencies responsible for the classification of documents to determine where reforms are possible,” announced President Obama in a speech at

A college student accused of illegally hacking into Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s e-mails says a court had declared the e-mails part of the public record. Among a number of issues, the federal case addresses whether e-mail is property and thereby subject to privacy protection. -DB Wired May 20, 2009 By Kim Zetter A surprise legal maneuver by the defense in the Sarah Palin hacking case could undermine key charges carrying the stiffest potential penalties. A