Miami Beach revises policy on photos of on-duty police

The Miami Beach Police Department is allowing citizens and media on public grounds to take pictures or video images of police officers doing their jobs. According to Emily Peterson reporting for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, “It [the new policy] says civilians may record or photograph a police employee’s activities as long [...]

Senator Kerry says idiots do not merit ‘fair and balanced’ coverage

Former presidential candidate and Senator John Kerry says the media does have to provide equal coverage to those in the public arena who expouse ‘absurd’ ideas. He is presumably referring to the Tea Party and/or Sarah Palin, says Glynnis MacNicol in the Business Insider. MacNicol says she doesn’t ordinarily agree with ‘blame the media’ statements, [...]

FCC report finds media failing watchdog duties

Downsized newsrooms, fewer reporters and less reporting can be harmful to democracy, according to a just released FCC report on the “Information Needs of Communities.” (Read the full report below.) “A shortage of reporting manifests itself in invisible ways: stories not written, scandals not exposed, government waste not discovered, health dangers not identified in time, [...]

Mix of traditional and conservative interests request Osama bin Laden photos

A number of the media and advocacy groups are requesting the photos of Osama bin Laden’s dead body through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The government has 20 days to respond to the requests. If the Army has the photos, unlike the White House they are subject to the FOIA although they would stall [...]

Dan Gillmor: NYTimes turns blind eye to IPad App bans?

Does the NYTimes care that Apple bans Apps due to content? Dan Gillmor, FAC board member and  director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University, questions the nature of the two media giants’ relationship, but as he writes in his  Mediactive blog,  “I’ve received, after 11 days since first asking, [...]

Haiti Rewired: Wired.com tackles Haiti’s reconstruction with online collaboration

Haiti Rewired launched by Wired.com following the January earthquake, is an innovative response to the problem of on-going disaster relief. Editor-in-Chief Evan Hansen, a member of FAC’s board, calls the project an online “collaboration of writers, editors, technologists, researchers, geographers, infrastructure specialists, aid groups and others” dedicated to rebooting Haiti’s future. Haiti Rewired’s Mission Statement [...]

A&A: Recording at a Board and Care Facility without Permission

Recording at a Board and Care Facility without Permission Q: My mother lives in a board and care facility.  I have power of attorney.  She is mentally capable, but is diagnosed bi-polar and is experiencing beginning stages of dementia.  She has a private room.  The facility receives funds from CEI for my Mom’s B&C.- a [...]

A&A: Anonymous Columnists

Anonymous Columnists Q: Does anything in the law compel a newspaper to divulge the identify of a columnist who prefers to remain anonymous? Are Realtors, or persons engaged in the Real Estate business restricted in the opinions they may express about real estate? A: In your inquiry, you pose two questions.  Turning to your first [...]

A&A: Recording Meetings without Informing/Consent

Q: You recently stated in response to a question that there was no law against an attendee taping a homeowner association meeting without permission.  My question is:  can they do it without informing the Board of Directors or other attendees? A: With respect to taking a homeowner association meeting without permission, the initial question would [...]

A&A: Homeowners Associations Prohibition on Videotaping

Homeowners Associations Prohibition on Videotaping Q: The Board of Directors of my Homeowners Association has passed a new rule (in an open meeting and after a 30 day notice) to prohibit taping of Board Meetings by members of the HOA.  It is not clear whether “The Brown Act” applies in this case.  I do not [...]

A&A: City Council stopped televising meetings

Addressing a legal step away from openness Q: I would like to know if a municipal government can, after a 20 year history of broadcasting its council meetings to its residents through its local cable operation, simply discontinue airing those council meetings to the public? Or given the established tradition of fully airing such meetings, [...]

A&A: Homeowner’s Association, the Brown Act, and tape recording

Homeowner’s Association, the Brown Act, and tape recording Q: My senior homeowner’s association board prohibits members from tape recording board meetings.  I tried today, they asked me to leave, and they called the police. I stated “I will exercise my right under California law to record meeting”. Police would not take any action in civil [...]