Virginia College Press Freedom Act

Va. Code Ann. § 23.1-401.2 Public college student journalists; freedom of speech and the press. A. As used in this section: “Institution-sponsored student media” means any material that is prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist at a public institution of higher education under the direction of a student media adviser and distributed or… Continue reading Virginia College Press Freedom Act

Can police search our newsroom?

Paper cut outs of question marks strewn around a desk next to a hand holing a pen

Q: Can the police or campus security search our newsroom to get unpublished photos, notes or videos? A: Almost never. The federal Privacy Protection Act makes it illegal for law enforcement officers or government officials to search a newsroom (or anywhere else where newsgathering materials are kept, such as the trunk of a reporter’s car)… Continue reading Can police search our newsroom?