First Amendment News

In a stunning decision, the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a Homestead, Florida man could secretly record a meeting with the police chief since the chief did not designate the meeting as private. A Florida law requires the consent of the person being recorded, but the court found that the meeting fell under open-government expectations subject to “sunshine” provisions with “all attendees of the meeting…either public employees acting in furtherance of their

A civilian oversight commission is asking the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to reform its transparency practices to allow the public more information about its use of force, discipline of officers, and handling of complaints. The commission wants the department to post data including videos of incidents on its website. (Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2017, by Maya Lau) The political skirmishing and alliance-forming activities behind two San Diego ballot measures raise the specter of Brown

A district federal judge ordered the employees of the anti-abortion Center for Medical Progress to show cause why they should not be held in contempt for their violation of his order not to publish videos shot illegally at the National Abortion Federation’s annual meetings. The federation is concerned for the safety of its members that include abortion providers. (Courthouse News Service, May 26, 2017, by Nicholas Iovino) The Center for Medical Progress has been releasing

The New York Times was widely criticized for publishing leaked information and photos about the suicide bombing attack in Manchester. The British said the publication hurt the investigation and showed no respect for the families of the victims. The Times issued a statement saying their reporting was consistent with how they and other news outlets have reported terrorist acts across the world. The controversy highlights the differences between U.S. journalism and that of other nations.

Lexington police believe that windows shattered at the office of the Lexington Herald-Leader resulted from small-caliber gunfire. Publisher Rufus Friday said it was “concerning,” given the animosity expressed toward journalists in the U.S. and Lexington recently.  (Lexington Herald-Leader, May 29, 2017, by Herald-Leader Staff) The attack follows the publication of a story about the Kentucky governor’s attack on a Courier-Journal reporter, calling him a “sick man” for his coverage of sweetheart deal the governor made