California assembly passes law restricting reckless driving paparazzi

A Deadline Hollywood columnist writes that notwithstanding the California legislature’s newly passed law imposing criminal penalties on paparazzi for driving recklessly, editors and the public are responsible for the excesses. -db
Deadline Hollywood
Commentary
August 31, 2010
By Nikki Finke
The California Assembly today passed AB 2479 by a margin of 43-13 to impose penalties of up to [...]

Federal judge dismisses ‘cyber libel’ suit

A federal district court judge ruled that the federal Communications Decency Act protected a news station from charges of libel after it allowed readers to post comments about a news anchor’s arrest for cocaine possession. A grand jury subsequently voted not to indict her. -db
Online Media Daily
September 1, 2010
By Wendy Davis
A federal court [...]

Senator expressed uneasiness about nuclear stockpile secrecy in 1949

A U.S. senator earned an entry in his FBI file in 1949 for making a speech calling for transparency about how many nuclear bombs we possessed and how many were in production. It was only on May 3 of this year that we learned the true size of our nuclear arsenal. -db
Secrecy News
Commentary
September 2, 2010
[...]

Law research center releases paper on news aggregating

The Citizen Media Law Center has released a white paper on hot news misappropriation and copyright infringement to suggest “best practices” for those aggregating the news. -db
Citizen Media Law Center
Press Release
August 30, 2010
By Kimberley Isbell
As anyone who has been following the debate regarding the “future of journalism” knows, there have been a lot of [...]

Juror fined for premature Facebook posting that defendant guilty

A juror who had posted that a defendant was guilty before the jury announced a verdict will have to pay a $250 fine and write an essay on the right to a fair trial. -db
The Detroit News
September 2, 2010
By Candice Williams
MOUNT CLEMONS, Mich. — A woman who was removed from a jury for [...]

Florida: Losing politician sues newspapers for libel

After losing a hotly contested battle in the Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate, a Florida businessman is preparing a lawsuit against the St. Petersburg Times and The Miami Herald charging they libeled him in reporting his business activities which cost him the election.  -db
The New York Times
August 31, 2010
By Jeremy W. Peters [...]

Central valley: Hughson seats new city council members after finding of Brown Act violations

The small town of Hughson swore in three new city council members with feelings of elation and renewal after recalling three former council members that the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury found had violated California’s open meeting law, Hughson’s Municipal Code and Fair Political Practices Regulations and Code. -db
Turlock Journal
August 31, 2010
By Maegan Martens
After eight [...]

Open-meeting violation alleged over Pomona schools parcel tax proposal

A citizen accused the Pomona Unified School District board of violating California’s open meeting law by holding discussions in closed sessions about a parcel tax proposed for the November ballot. The board’s attorney says the board acted properly in that all votes concerning the parcel tax were conducted in public. -db
Contra Costa Times
August 31, 2010
By [...]

Courts give photographers scant protection in shooting accident scenes

Journalists should not assume they are free to take photos at accident scenes on public roads as indicated by a recent federal court ruling on a case in Guam. -db
First Amendment Center
August 30, 2010
By David L. Hudson Jr.
If you travel to Guam, don’t take pictures of the police on public streets. Don’t assume that [...]

Editorial: Federal appeals court slights First Amendment in protecting president

The Los Angeles Times says in an editorial that the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals failed to consider whether the event was open to the public or a private political event in ruling that a couple with a political message on a bumper sticker could be excluded from a George W. Bush town hall [...]

Gawker opens site to probe WikiLeaks

Citing Wikileaks secretive mode of operation, Gawker announced a new website, Wikileakileaks.org, to provide the public details of the organization’s operation. -db
ValleyWag
Commentary
August 31, 2010
Secret-sharing website Wikileaks.org’s tagline is “We open governments.” But the organization itself is about as open as North Korea. That’s why we’ve launched Wikileakileaks.org: your source for Wikileaks-related secrets, documents and rumors!
Wikileaks [...]

Free speech: Federal court rules ex- police chef’s rights violated

The 10th Circuit Appeals Court ruled that the city manager in Laramie, Wyoming violated a police chief’s free speech rights since her motivation in firing him was to punish him for filing a defamation lawsuit. -db
Courthouse News Service
August 30, 2010
By Nick McCann
(CN) – The city manager in Laramie, Wyo., violated a police [...]

California: Lawsuit against Facebook alleges violation of law forbidding use of minor’s names and faces

A 1971 California law forbids publication of minors’ names and photos in ads without consent of parents, bringing into question Facebook’s use of the “like” button that turns minors into endorsers of brands or ads. -db
Onlne Media Daily
August 30, 2010
By Wendy Davis
A new lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly violating a California law banning the use [...]

Instruction in social media essential in journalism education

According to an online news pioneer, modern journalism students do not naturally see the social media as an important aspect of their professional repertoire. -db
MediaShift
August 30, 2010
By Alfred Hermida
Social media is such a new phenomenon that it is easy for someone to claim to be an expert in the subject. A search on Twitter [...]

Copyright enforcement concern signs up second newspaper chain

Righthaven, a company that sues bloggers who repost news content without prermission, has expanded its operation to a second newspaper chain, the Arkansas-based WEHCO Media. -db
Wired
August 30, 2010
By David Kravets
A Las Vegas company established to sue bloggers who clip news content is expanding its operations to a second newspaper chain.
Righthaven LLC has struck [...]

Man with impeach Obama sign arrested at Alaska State Fair

Police arrested at man at the Alaska State Fair carrying a sign calling for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The fair allows political messages if citizens rent a booth and follow vendor guidelines but forbid political activities in common areas. -db
Anchorage Daily News
August 28, 2010
By Kyle Hopkins
Ten minutes of mayhem Thursday at [...]

Minnesota: Federal court rules against city’s ban on billboard extensions

A federal court ruled that St. Paul’s ban on billboard extensions could not be enforced because the city offered no rational reasons for the ban. -db
Courthouse News Service
August 27, 2010
(CN) – A St. Paul ordinance barring signs from having protruding words or graphics is unenforceable, the 8th Circuit ruled, because the city council “failed [...]

Los Angeles County supervisors seek doctor peer review records

L.A. County supervisors are seeking doctors’ peer review documents to monitor patient safety and improve their ability to settle malpractice claims. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 28, 2010
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske
In a fight that could have wide-ranging implications, Los Angeles County supervisors are pushing to see confidential medical records used by county doctors to evaluate their peers to [...]

Concerns arise about California Assembly bill to control paparazzi

The California Newspaper Publisher Association argues that a California Assembly bill aimed at limiting Hollywood paparazzi would hamper journalists and photojournalists in transit to emergency scenes or breaking news locations by criminalizing driving infractions. -db
The California Newspaper Publisher Association
Commentary
August 27, 2010
Assembly Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) recently amended her bill to rein in “out [...]

Facebook criticized for censoring pot legalization ads

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is charging that Facebook is failing to uphold the First Amendment in banning content that some “overseers” find objectionable. -db
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
August 26, 2010
By Richard Esguerra
Facebook is facing down another embarrassing episode of censorship this week after refusing to show ads submitted by the Just Say Now marijuana legalization campaign. [...]

State Department analyst indicted for disclosing secrets about North Korea to Fox News

The Obama administration has taken an aggressive stance toward individuals leaking secret information to the media. -db
The New York Times
August 27, 2010
By Scott Shane
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted a State Department analyst suspected of disclosing top-secret information about North Korea to Fox News, the third time the Obama administration [...]

Sunnyvale: Family affair in school board race prompts concerns about open meeting violations

Three members from the Goldman family are running for the Fremont Union High School District board in a contest for three open seats as observers expressed some skepticism about whether, if all three are elected, they could successfully observe California’s open meeting law and avoid discussing school district business around the breakfast table. -db
San [...]

Driver’s union claims transit authority violated California open meeting law

A San Bernardino County teamster’s union has charged the Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority with failing to convene in open session before adjourning to closed session, a violation of the state’s open meeting law, the Brown Act. -db
Big Bear Grizzly
August 27, 2010
By Arrissa Owen Turner
Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority violated the Ralph M. Brown [...]

Iran thought to ban reporting on opposition leaders

A letter from the Iranian government appearing on opposition web sites orders the media to refrain from reporting on two defeated presidential candidates, Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, as well as former President Mohammad Khatami. -db
The New York Times
August 25, 2010
By William Yong and Robert F. Worth
TEHRAN — In a further clampdown [...]

Southern California: Fontana school board president justifies silencing citizens during public comments

The Fontana Unified School District board president said he stopped citizens from talking during public comment period because according to California Education Code Section 7054, citizens could not discuss district issues at school board meetings to promote ballot measures or political candidates. -db
Fontana Herald News
August 26, 2010
By Alejandro Cano
It has happened at least [...]

WikiLeaks unveils CIA report on U.S. as an ‘exporter of terrorism’

The CIA has downplayed WikiLeaks’ latest release, a secret CIA analysis showing the extent of U.S. presence as an exporter of terrorism. -db
Washington Post
August 26, 2010
By Ellen Nakashima
The United States has long been an exporter of terrorism, according to a secret CIA analysis released Wednesday by the Web site WikiLeaks. And if that phenomenon [...]

Blackberry dispute: Reporters Without Borders worried national security a pretext to censorship

Reporters Without Borders is concerned that in asking BlackBerry to provide access codes to governments, it will allow them to shut down free expression. -db
MediaShift
Commentary
August 26, 2010
By Clothilde Le Coz
Next week will be decisive for BlackBerry corporate users. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) could provide a solution to help security agencies in India [...]

EFF offers help to defendants in copyright lawsuits

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has offered to help bloggers caught in Righthaven’s copyright infringement web. -db
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
August 25, 2010
By Eva Galperin
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is seeking to assist defendants in the Righthaven copyright troll lawsuits.
Righthaven, founded in March of 2010, files hundreds of copyright infringement lawsuits on behalf of newspaper publishers against bloggers [...]

Open records dispute: Judge orders university to release contract with Palin

A Superior Court judge has ordered California State University of Stanislaus to comply with public records laws and release a speakers contract with Sarah Palin. -db
San Francisco Chronicle
August 26, 2010
By Nanette Asimov
California State University at Stanislaus violated public records laws and will have to release the speakers contract with Sarah Palin it had tried [...]

Tulare County: Editorial says judge’s ruling blow to open meetings

On the heels of a Superior Court judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Brown Act violations by the county Board of Supervisors, the Visalia Times-Delta argues that the judge should have recognized the overriding importance of the public’s right to know how elected officials conduct public business. -db
Visalia Times-Delta
Editorial
August 26, 2010
Naturally, we at the [...]

Attorneys general pressure Craigslist to remove adult service ad section

Attorneys general in seventeen states have asked Craigslist to disband its adult services section on its website since it cannot block illegal ads on the site promoting prostitution and child trafficking. -db
San Francisco Chronicle
August 25, 2010
By Everton Bailey Jr.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – San Francisco-based Craigslist should remove its adult services section because the website [...]

Federal government seems set to appeal ruling that indecency rules unconstitutional

The Federal Communications Commission wants the 2nd circuit appeals court to put off a decision of a fine for nudity against ABC for a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue to give it time to decide whether to appeal an earlier 2nd circuit ruling that its indecency standard was unconstitutionally vague. -db
Broadcasting & Cable
August 24, 2010
[...]

Tulare County: Judge rules for supervisors on alleged open meeting violations

A superior Judge ruled against a newspaper’s suit against Tulare County Board of Supervisors, holding that there was no proof that business was conducted at lunches paid for by taxpayers. -db
Visalia Times-Delta
August 24, 2010
By Valerie Gibbons
A Tulare County Superior Court judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit seeking to stop the county Board of Supervisors from [...]

San Bernardino: Wife of ex-sheriff ruled a private citizen in libel suit

In a multimillion-dollar libel suit against Valley Wide Newspapers, the  plaintiff,the wife of a former sheriff won a ruling that she was not a public figure, athough she had a contract with San Bernardino County to provide counseling services to sheriff’s deputies. -db
San Bernardino Sun
August 23, 2010
By Mike Cruz
A Superior Court judge ruled that the [...]

Federal appeals court orders disclosure of banks likely to have failed without bailout

The full U.S. Court of Appeals in New York refused to review a decision by the court’s three-judge panel requiring the Federal Reserve Board to identify banks that may have failed without the federal bailout. -db
Bloomberg News
August 23, 2010
Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) — An appeals court refused to reconsider a decision compelling the Federal Reserve Board [...]

Former Alaska Airlines employee loses whistleblower suit

In a 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court of California rejected a whistleblower suit on the grounds that the plaintiff failed to request an administrative hearing recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor. -db
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
August 24, 2010f
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A former airline employee whose whistleblower complaint was rejected in federal administrative proceedings, and who [...]

Federal court affirms greater speech freedom for college students

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a university’s strict speech codes, and in so doing made a distinction between university standards and standards limiting speech in high schools and elementary schools in recognition that adults in universities should enjoy the freedom to engage in unfettered debate and discourse. -db
FIRE
Commentary
August 20, 2010
Posted by Erica [...]

Government transparency: Single pool of storage could save money and allow better access

Deluged by data, the federal government looks to virtualized storage to create a single pool of storage capacity controlled from a central console making it easier to retrieve data. -db
NextGov
August 23, 2010
By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
The federal government is awash in data. And it’s expanding at rates faster than chief information officers can count. No [...]

Security researcher in India arrested for refusing to reveal anonymous source

An Indian computer scientist was arrested for refusing to disclose an anonymous source who gave an electronic voting machine to a team of security researchers who discovered that despite the Election Commission’s denials were prone to compromise. -db
Electronic Freedom Foundation
Commentary
August 22, 2010
By Marcia Hofmann
An Indian computer scientist was arrested this weekend when he refused to [...]

Free speech: Electronic Frontier Foundation warns against California law undermining parody

A new “E-Personation” bill now in the California legislature would make it a crime to personate someone online to “harm” that person. EFF claims that the law would severely restrict online parodies criticizing government and big corporations. -db
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
August 22, 2010
By Corynne McSherry
A bill that could undermine a new and important form [...]

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