Urged on by the state attorney general, a Hawaii Senate committee is proposing to drastically narrow the state's 2008 reporter shield statute, putting the ability of student journalists to protect confidential sources at risk.In amendments approved Wednesday, a Senate committee pared back the scope of the reporter's privilege so that it would benefit only journalists "professionally associated" with traditional news organizations.The current Hawaii statute enables two classes of people to protect their unpublished material and the identity of their sources if confronted with a demand in connection with a legal proceeding:(1) "[A] journalist or newscaster presently or previously employed by or otherwise professionally associated with any newspaper or magazine or any digital versiona thereof."(2) A person who can demonstrate by "clear and convincing evidence" that he or she "has regularly and materially participated in the reporting or publishing of news or information of substantial public interest for the purpose of dissemination to the general public" or that he or she occupies a position "materially similar or identical to that of a journalist or newscaster."It's that second class of protected people that Attorney General David M.
Author: Frank LoMonte
Nation’s leading journalism educators say there’s nothing “legitimate” or “educational” in Hazelwood censorship
Twenty-five years after the U.S. Supreme Court told public schools they could lawfully censor students for any reason "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns," the nation's leading journalism educators are calling for an end to the misuse of that legal authority to stifle discussion of controversial topics.In a resolution unanimously approved by its board, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) urges K-12 schools to refrain from abusing the Supreme Court's 1988 ruling, Hazelwood School District v.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Federal appeals court puts a stop to the “FOIA death spiral”
For years, federal agencies have been freezing journalists in public-records purgatory with a maddening tactic: The "thanks for your request, we'll respond to it (someday)" letter.It's the bureaucratic equivalent of the spinning beach ball of death, and twice as frustrating.Getting the "non-response response" letter trapped the requester in a no-win predicament.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Mining the courthouse to explain the human impact of college student loan debt
As a combined result of the difficult job market and the crushing expense of student loan debt, many thousands of recent graduates are experiencing an unwelcome "reunion" with their colleges -- in court.The enormity of how much students owe is well-documented.
Google never forgets: Seventh Circuit finds no right to force search engines to block access to embarrassing public records
The ability of search engines to dredge up unflattering facts has provoked global debate over whether people should have a legal "right to be forgotten" -- that is, a right to demand that embarrassing personal details be taken offline.
The Bill of Rights: Not just for the big kids anymore. (At least in three states.)
Students in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are fortunate to live within the boundaries of the federal Third Circuit, one of the last remaining provinces in America that honors the promise of the First Amendment to all citizens, even the youngest.Three judges on the Third Circuit U.S.
SPJ “award” recognizes the “black hole of information” that is Oklahoma State University
When it comes to colleges inventing strained excuses to withhold public records and conceal unpleasant truths from the public, it's hard to pick just one standout.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: An absence of ethics — taking the roll of school attendance fraud
For at least half a decade, school officials in Columbus, Ohio, carried out an inventive method of reducing the rate of student absenteeism.They erased the absences.
Reporting on Steubenville rape case a timely reminder on publishing names of juveniles, crime victims
In the explosion of media coverage accompanying Sunday's judgment against two teenage Ohio student athletes in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl, at least one broadcast news outlet aired courtroom footage in which the victim's name was audible.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Journalists requesting public records from colleges are being treated like dogs. This Sunshine Week, it’s time to unleash some shame.
A federal privacy law meant to safeguard student grades, transcripts and disciplinary files continues being misapplied to obstruct public accountability, even where no legitimate privacy interests are at stake.Exhibit A is the University of Oklahoma's stubborn insistence that parking tickets are "confidential education records" under FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.