Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/12/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]George: I'd like to think so, too, but the government seems to have another attitude, and it extends to writers and reporters as well as photographers. Recently a college teacher and crime writer named Vanessa Leggett was writing a book about a murder--on her own, hoping to sell it when she was finished. Ms. Liggett got "in" with some sources close to the case. These sources might have information that the prosecuter wants for a Federal grand jury investigating the case after a state court failed to convict the dead woman's husband. The grand jury ordered her to reveal her sources and hand over her work. She refused, citing First Amendment rights. They promptly clapped her into jail for contempt. Last I heard, she had been in jail since July, with no prospect of getting out unless she hands over *all* her notes, both originals and copies. She has now spent more time in jail than any other writer in in U.S. history who was imprisoned over their work. Part of the government's case against Leggett was that she isn't a "real" journalist because she isn't working for an established news organization and has not been published commercially before (she has been published, I believe academically, and has written part of an FBI manual). When it appeared that argument wouldn't hold water, the authorities fell back on the idea that there is no journalist's privilege of confidentiality in Federal grand jury investigation. A three-judge panel (sound familiar?) denied her appeal, and the Fifth Circuit court tried to have another appeal heard in secret session (sound familiar?). What's really interesting and scary about this case is that it represents a major change from the Justice Dept.'s customary way of dealing with journalists. The court denied several national news organizations' requests to join a "friend of the court" brief. For more information, check out http://www.rcfp.org/leggett.html - --Peter At 12:12 PM 12/21/2001 -0800, George wrote: >I'd like to think that any serious, professional photographer who >documents events with honesty and integrity, whether freelance, >hired or staff would or could earn the moniker of photojournalist >- - journaling the visual reality. Shouldn't the product have more >to do with the title than the entity writing the check? > >In the case in point which began this thread: >If, hypothetically, another freelance "photojournalist" had >caught wind of the demonstration and documented the event on his >or her own dime, with the hope of later sales, or simply because >they thought it important to journal, and was also arrested and >charged - how speaks this illustrious jury? > >George - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html