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 [...]

First Amendment: N.H. inmate loses facial-hair challenge

A federal judge has ruled that inmates have no First Amendment right to grow a beard, rejecting the claim of an Orthodox Jew who claimed prison policy banning facial hair longer than a quarter-inch violated his constitutional rights.

September 1, 2010
By The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. [...]

First Amendment: Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation

Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. The company argued it had a First Amendment right to educate doctors about how to safely use Botox, even for uses [...]

Lawyer wins bid to depose ‘Law & Order’ producers in libel suit

Attorney Ravi Batra can question “Law & Order” producer Dick Wolf in connection with a $15 million libel action the lawyer filed in 2004 against 35 defendants, including Wolf and NBC Universal, a New York judge has ruled.
The New York Law Journal
September 1, 2010
By Noeleen G. Walder
The suit centers around a “Law [...]

China starts asking new cellphone users for ID

The Chinese government started to implement a long-discussed measure that requires cellphone subscribers to register their identities when setting up an account, prompting concerns over privacy in the world’s largest mobile market.
The Wall Street Journal
September 1, 2010
By Loretta Chao
BEIJING—The measure went into effect Wednesday, with customer service representatives [...]

Supreme Court asked to decide whether White House has right to exclude critics from public speeches

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether all Americans, including the president’s critics, have a right to attend his public speeches, or whether the White House retains the right to screen out dissenters.
McClatchy-Tribune
September 1, 2010
By David G. Savage WASHINGTON – While the current administration says it does not [...]

Detroit-area juror removed over Facebook post

A judge removed a juror from a trial in suburban Detroit after the young woman wrote on Facebook that the defendant was guilty. The problem? The trial wasn’t over.

September 1, 2010
By The Associated Press

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — Hadley Jons could be found in contempt when [...]

EEOC sues meatpacker over treatment of Muslims

Muslim Somali workers at two JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Colorado and Nebraska face ongoing harassment because of their race and religion, including being prevented from getting a drink at one of the plants after fasting all day during the Islamic holy month of [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Judge to EPA: Stop destroying records Union Pacific wants

A federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday to stop destroying records Union Pacific requested about lead contamination in Omaha. An expert was appointed to make sure the agency complies.

August 27, 2010
By The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. —The judge’s order resolved several issues [...]

Judge refuses to stop Missouri law on sexual businesses

Missouri’s wide-ranging limitations on sexual businesses will take effect Saturday after a state judge on Friday denied a request from a coalition of sexual store owners and erotic dancers to temporarily block the new law.
The Associated Press
August 27, 2010
By David E. Lieb
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The nudity must stop [...]

Journalist banned by Pentagon gets First Amendment Award

Carol Rosenberg, The Miami Herald reporter banned by the Pentagon earlier this year from covering military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been awarded the Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award for her efforts to cover the detention center there despite “consistent hostility in covering her [...]

Sotomayor: Free speech vs. security likely to come before Court

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said yesterday that the nation’s high court likely would be asked again to weigh issues of national security versus free speech because of the recently leaked classified war documents posted on the WikiLeaks website.

August 27, 2010
By The Associated Press
[...]

FCC asks 2nd Circuit to review fleeting-expletives ruling

Federal regulators are appealing a recent court decision that struck down a 2004 government policy that says broadcasters can be fined for allowing even a single curse word on live television.

August 27, 2010
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON —A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals [...]

NFL cheerleader wins $11 million libel suit

A gossip website has been hit with an $11 million judgment for libel and slander after posting false accusations about a northern Kentucky teacher who sidelines as a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader.

August 26, 2010
By The Associated Press  LOUISVILLE, Ky. —The judgment against Dirty World Entertainment Recordings, which [...]

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 [...]

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