Victim or perpetrator?

I follow Carlos Miller's Photography Is Not a Crime blog for a reason. Ninety-nine percent of the time photographers are harassed due to either ignorance about First Amendment rights by law enforcement and other agencies or at times those agencies or employees deliberately ignoring the rights of media and citizens. First - the media has …

Apparently photography IS a crime in Ohio…

Thanks to Canuckcam over at b-roll for this little item. Congressman Steve Chabot had police confiscate cell phones and recording devices from constituents at a town hall meeting. His reasoning? To protect the identities of his constituents. So below is the recording made by TV news cameramen at the event who were allowed to record …

Update: M.A.L. vs. Kinsland

Did a bit more research on the case of a middle school student who sued his school, alleging his rights to free speech were violated ... and couldn't find much that has happened since that date. I did find a more complete explanation on Lifenews.com by David L. Hudson Jr., which clarifies what the court …

Forged in fire…

I've been reviewing the court cases that define student media rights (Tinker, Hazelwood) and came across the following from the Center for Scholastic Journalism Blog: Federal appeals court rules middle school is not a public forum; more censorship ahead. Ouch. That plus a blurb an email from the Society of Professional Journalists about an attempt …

A distant rumbling…

Ever since 911 I've worried about our freedoms...and, as a journalist, about the right to freedom of speech. All of my life I've kind of taken it for granted that the media has a right to seek and tell the truth. In these times that right can not be taken for granted. And ever since …