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The Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press
The Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press (RCFP)
A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal assistance to journalists since 1970. 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22209 • (800) 336-4243
or (703) 807-2100
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Freedom of the Press, a short history
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was created in 1970 at a time when the nation's news media faced a wave of government subpoenas asking reporters to
name confidential sources.
One case particularly galvanized American journalists. New York Times reporter Earl Caldwell was ordered to reveal to a federal grand jury his sources in the Black Panther organization, threatening
his independence as a newsgatherer.
Caldwell's dilemma prompted a meeting at Georgetown University to discuss the need to provide legal assistance to journalists when their First Amendment rights come under fire. Among those present,
or involved soon afterwards, were J. Anthony Lukas, Murray Fromson, Fred Graham, Jack Nelson, Ben Bradlee, Eileen Shanahan, Mike Wallace, Robert Maynard and Tom Wicker.
They formed a committee that operated part-time and on a shoestring (its first "office" was a desk in the press room at the U.S. Supreme Court). With support from foundations and news organizations,
the founders built a staff and began recruiting attorneys to donate their services.
An early member of the Steering Committee -- Jack C. Landau -- was a reporter- lawyer who covered the Supreme Court. In his spare time, Landau started the First Amendment Hotline -- the first
cost-free 24/7 legal guidance service for journalists involved in First Amendment and freedom of information issues -- and also located cost-free lawyers to the press aided by Steering Committee
member Fred P. Graham, a reporter-lawyer at the Supreme Court. Read more here
Reporters Committee Executive Director Dalglish named dean at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Lucy DalglishDalglish Named New Dean of UMD's Philip Merrill College of Journalism
University of Maryland
For Immediate Release
May 17, 2012
COLLEGE PARK , Md. - Lucy Dalglish, the Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, has
been appointed the next dean of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. She will succeed Dean Kevin Klose on
August 1.
"Lucy Dalglish's work puts her in the middle of some of the most critical journalism issues of the day, particularly those involving media rights and protections," said
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh. "The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is fortunate to have someone with her broad experience, insight and vision to lead it through this era of
transformation in the media world."
Dalglish says she intends to take steps to broaden the education of Merrill College students by working to create partnerships with other colleges within the university,
while expanding opportunities with other journalism schools and working journalists. Her goal is to create journalism students who are lifelong learners. Read more
Reporters Committee Executive Director Dalglish
named dean at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Reporters Committee
Press Release
May 17, 2012
Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, has been named dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University
of Maryland, effective Aug. 1.
"Twelve years ago, the Reporters Committee's Steering Committee gave an aspiring media lawyer a chance to lead the nation’s premiere organization devoted to protecting
the First Amendment rights of journalists," Dalglish said. "Serving as executive director of the Reporters Committee has been an honor and a privilege. This job, and the outstanding people who came
with it, have been so much more than I expected. Read the full press release
Dalglish joined the Reporters Committee in January 2000. She had been a media lawyer for almost five years in the trial department of the Minneapolis law firm of Dorsey
& Whitney LLP. From 1980-93, she was a reporter and editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Earlier this year, Dalglish was awarded the Kiplinger Award from the National Press Foundation for her contributions to journalism. She was awarded the Wells Memorial
Key, the highest honor bestowed by the Society of Professional Journalists, in 1995 for her work as chairman of SPJ's national Freedom of Information Committee from 1992-95 and for her service as a
national board member from 1988-91. She also was named to the inaugural class of the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame in 1996.
Dalglish earned a juris doctor degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1995; a master of studies in law degree from Yale Law School, where she was a Knight
Journalism Fellow, in 1988; and a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of North Dakota in 1980. She lives with her husband, Mark McNair, in McLean, Virginia.
Reporters Committee on Wikipedia
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1970, that provides free legal assistance to and on behalf of journalists. A number of
prominent journalists presently sit on the organization's steering committee, including Dan Rather, and Judy Woodruff and, prior to his death, Walter Cronkite. Its offices are located in Arlington,
Virginia.
The RCFP actively aids in defending reporters facing subpoenas and court orders to disclose the identity of confidential sources. The Reporters Committee is also involved in a variety of First
Amendment, shield law, freedom of information, and other free speech activities, including state open records and meetings law compliance. The organization publishes a quarterly magazine, The News
Media & The Law.
In addition, the Reporters Committee files legal briefs on a variety of issues that affect a journalist's ability to gather and disseminate news and also maintains a 24-hour legal defense hotline for
journalists and media lawyers. Read more here
Freedom of Information in the United States
Ben Franklin - printing pressFreedom of information in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freedom of information in the United States refers to the independent bodies of Freedom of information legislation at the federal level and in the fifty states.
Read more here
Information on Telephone Recording - The Justice Network
The Open Government Guide - Reporters Committee
The Open Government Guide is a complete compendium of information on
every state's open records and open meetings laws. Each state's section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states. If you're a new user of this
guide, be sure to read the Introductory Note and User's Guide.
RCFP, 2009 Legal Defense Report
2009, Legal Defense Report (RCFP).pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [384.3 KB]
Lorenzo v. City of Venice, Case No. 2008-CA-8108-SC
SUNSHINE REVIEW
Lorenzo v. City of Venice was a transparency lawsuit before the judgepedia: Florida Twelfth Circuit Court: Florida Twelfth Circuit Court in Florida in 2008. Judge
Robert Bennett was the presiding judge.
Important precedents
This case established that communication performed through private emails by public officials concerning public business was in violation of the Florida Sunshine Law and
the Florida Open Meetings Law.
Background
On May 20, 2008, attorney Andrea Flynn Mogensen sent a letter to Venice City Clerk, Lori Stelzer, requesting "email communications to and from council members, including
non-city account emails utilized by council members, for the period beginning November 14, 2007, through the date of receipt of this letter, including all email attachments." A second request was
made on June 12, 2008, and directed to members of the Airport Advisory Board after it was learned from an email dated May 31, 2008, that an airport advisory board member had "deleted electronic
public records in his custody and control."
The suit alleged that 9 current and former city officials violated state open meetings laws by conducting official city business over their personal emails. The
plaintiffs filing suit were activist Anthony Lorenzo and Citizens for Sunshine, Inc., a non-profit devoted to promoting awareness and compliance with open government laws. Read more here
Lorenzo v. City of Venice, 2008-CA-8108-SC
Fourth_Amended_Complaint.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [6.9 MB]
Lorenzo v. City of Venice, 2008-CA-8108-SC
Settlement_Stipulation.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [81.9 KB]
Lorenzo v. City of Venice, Case No. 2008-CA-8108-SC
RCFP submitted an amicus brief arguing in favor of a grant of attorney fees to the plaintiffs in a FOIA suit, stating that the lawsuit served the public interest by exposing violations of the law. A Florida judge increased the fee award to a total of approximately $1.4 million.
Lorenzo v. City of Venice, 2008-CA-8108-SC
20090813-amicusinlorenzovcityofvenice.pd[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [446.2 KB]
From discovery, plaintiffs learned that a secret code had been developed to refer to the council members in case their emails were intercepted. The code used characters from Disney's Snow White animation film. Because there were 7 members of City Council, each of them were named after one on the 7 dwarfs. The Mayor's code name was Doc, the Vice-Mayor was named Happy, Council member Noren was named Sleepy, Council member Simmonds was named Grumpy, Council member Zavodnyik was named Bashful, Council member Tacy was named Sneezy. Airport Manager Watts was named Dopey. Council Member Sue Lang was referred to under the code name Snow White.
Why are the courts leaning on journalists?
The New Yorker Magazine
by Jeffrey Toobin
January 16, 2006
On December 16th, the Times, citing anonymous government officials, reported that the National Security Agency has engaged in extensive, warrantless wiretapping of American citizens in a secret
program authorized by President Bush in 2002. At a press conference three days later, the President defended the eavesdropping. "We’re at war, and we must protect America’s secrets," he said, adding
that the Times’ sources, by disclosing the program, had committed a "shameful act" that had undermined American security. Read more here
Reporters Committee mourns passing of founding member Mike Wallace
Reporters Committee mourns passing of founding member Mike Wallace
Reporters Committee
April 9, 2012
Reporters Committee Executive Director Lucy A. Dalglish released the following statement regarding the death of newsman Mike Wallace:
"The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press joins the journalism community in mourning the death of Mike Wallace, a truth-seeking, tenacious reporter who dedicated
his career to ensuring that the information that public and corporate officials didn’t want the public to know was brought into the spotlight.
"Mike was one of the founders of the Reporters Committee in 1970, a group of journalists who took a stand against the growing number of federal subpoenas being issued to
reporters in an attempt to discover their confidential news sources. It was the beginning of a long relationship of battling subpoenas and other threats to a free press together.
"Mike's treatment by security guards at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago inspired the 1972 launch of Reporters Committee journalist legal hotlines for
the quadrennial political conventions. After seeing him and other reporters roughed up by security 'thugs,' as CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite called them, the Reporters Committee was ready at the
next convention and, in fact, has maintained the hotlines at every political convention, including those coming up later this year.
"We were honored to name Mike one of our First Amendment Award winners at the Reporters Committee’s 35th anniversary gala, where he was introduced by his good friend,
Art Buchwald. [pictured above, left]
"As our surviving founders become fewer in number, we must honor them by preserving the ideals of free press and freedom of information upon which they built the
Reporters Committee. We honor Mike Wallace’s drive, his passion for reporting the truth, and his sheer determination to bring important information to the public eye by ensuring each new generation
of reporters upholds those values without interference by those who would rather the truth stay hidden." Read more here
"60 Minutes" icon Mike Wallace dies at 93
"60 Minutes" icon Mike Wallace dies at 93
(CBS News) CBS News legend Mike Wallace, the "60 Minutes" pit-bull reporter whose probing, brazen style made his name synonymous with the tough interview - a style he
practically invented for television more than half a century ago - died Saturday night. He was 93 and passed peacefully surrounded by family members at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Conn., where
he spent the past few years. He also had a home in Manhattan.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within
the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation. Read more here
Mike Wallace (journalist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. During his career, which spanned over
sixty years, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers.
He was one of the original correspondents for CBS' 60 Minutes which debuted in 1968. Wallace retired as a regular full-time correspondent in 2006, but still appeared
occasionally on the series until 2008. Wallace died on April 7, 2012 in the New Canaan, Connecticut, care facility where he had lived the last few years of his life. He was 93…
…For many years, Mike Wallace unknowingly suffered from depression. In an article he wrote for Guideposts, Wallace related, "I'd had days when I felt blue and it took
more of an effort than usual to get through the things I had to do". It worsened in 1984, after General William Westmoreland filed a $120 million libel lawsuit against Wallace and CBS over statements
they made in the documentary The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception (1982). Westmoreland claimed the documentary made him appear as if he manipulated intelligence. The lawsuit, Westmoreland v. CBS,
was later dropped after CBS issued a statement explaining they never intended to portray the general as disloyal or unpatriotic. During the proceedings, Mike Wallace was hospitalized with what was
diagnosed as exhaustion. But his wife, Mary, forced him to go to a doctor, who diagnosed Wallace with clinical depression. He was prescribed an antidepressant and underwent psychotherapy. Out of a
belief that it would be perceived as a weakness, Wallace kept his depression a secret until he revealed it in an interview with Bob Costas on his late-night talk show. In a later interview with
colleague Morley Safer, he revealed he attempted suicide circa 1986. Read more here
Mike Wallace's Public Battle With Depression
CNN
By Thom Patterson
April 10, 2012
Reporter Acknowledged His Longtime Battle With Depression In 2005
(CNN) -- Since his death at age 93 Saturday, much has been written about hard-edged ex-"60 Minutes" reporter Mike Wallace's epic verbal battles with world leaders,
swindlers and alleged crime bosses.
But in 2005, Wallace made news of his own when he acknowledged his longtime war with depression -- a fight that nearly caused him to take his own life.
"I came perilously close to committing suicide," Wallace wrote in his memoir "Between You and Me."
He described in dramatic detail how he was crushed by a devastating depression fueled by stress from a $120 million libel suit over a 1982 CBS documentary about the
Vietnam War. The subsequent trial, he wrote, pushed him "more deeply into a dark and devastating malaise, which was crushing my spirit and even sapping my will to live."
Going public with his struggle did much to help others know they weren't alone, said Dr. Charles Raison, CNNhealth's mental health expert.
Telling everyone that someone as famously intelligent and successful as Wallace could be taken down by the disease helped to lessen the social stigma that often comes
with the label "clinically depressed," said Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
It wasn't surprising the pit bull of old-school TV journalism had the tenacity to confront his demons in public -- displaying his dirty laundry on his own terms. It was
classic Wallace, the king of confrontation using the tools of his trade to melt away the stigma like so many scandal-plagued politicians sweating under hot TV lights.
Wallace's admission humanized him against a self-described "tough guy" reputation, said Dr. Aaron Rochlen, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at
Austin.
"There was a lot of positive reaction and appreciation for his public acknowledgment of what was going on for him. It took self-awareness and courage for him to admit
that."
Americans have been more open about their depression in recent years, Rochlen said. The issue has been appearing in pop culture, such as Tony Soprano's discussion of
depression. Soprano's therapy was a central theme of "The Sopranos," which was "important in impacting impressions about men and mental health and in therapy," Rochlen said. "Former NFL quarterback
Terry Bradshaw has been very open about his struggles with depression. So I do think there's been a cultural shift in terms of decreasing stigma, but there's a long way to go."
Wallace wrote in his book that he'd sought help from a doctor he'd been going to for years. But that doctor, he said, failed to recognize Wallace was sliding into a
clinical depression.
"That's terribly common," Raison said. "Studies in both the UK and the U.S. suggest that that happens more than 50% percent of the time. There have been studies in the
United States that suggest that of all the people that have clinical depression -- probably less than 25% get adequate, appropriate treatment."
Wallace wrote he was losing his appetite and was taking sleeping pills to offset insomnia during the trial.
"This is a classic symptom," Raison said. "Among men, somewhere between 90% and 95% of people who get emotionally depressed will demonstrate changes in sleep and
appetite. In women, it's almost 100%."
Wallace also wrote that he feared the lawsuit and trial -- brought by William C. Westmoreland, the retired U.S. Army general who had led U.S. troops in Vietnam -- would
irreparably damage his reputation as a reporter, which experts say also would have contributed to his deepening depression.
Men often connect their sense of well-being to their careers and their career-related success, Rochlen said.
"When there are threats to that success or obstacles to reaching their goals, that can spur on a depression," he said.
Raison added, "The stressers that are most likely to make people depressed are things that threaten their image of who they are. Things that are likely to make you lose
status, lose power, lose the respect of other people, lose everything you've built, destroy what you think your life is about. Even when the stresser gets fixed, the depression often
persists."
Wallace wrote it was only because of the "love and caring support from a friend" that he was able to avert taking his own life.
"Mood disorders seem to be linked to both creativity and intelligence, according to a number of studies," Raison said. The message: Anyone can suffer from clinical
depression.
"Anyone who saw Mike Wallace decimate these people during interviews, you wouldn't pick him as a guy that had depression," Raison said. "When you're depressed, it's
very, very hard to do anything. Isn't it amazing that a guy who was so bullish, so pro-active, so driven, could at the same time suffer with the condition that eliminates those traits? That's what
really struck me." Read more here
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