NEVER SILENT SPJ 4+5+12 Megaregional Conference

This is going to be a great gathering of "doers" stategizing on how to protect the rights of local journalists in turbulent times. Please register and make plans to be in Louisville April 10-11. See you there! region12conferencespj.wordpress.com

From shuttered print editions to firings, student journalists clash with universities At least six states are considering legislative proposals that protect the First Amendment rights of student journalists. Over the past year, tension between administrators and student newspapers has ...

With widespread consensus that civic education and media literacy are national priorities, how is it that the leadership of higher education has decided to declare war on news readership? www.csmonitor.com/USA/Educatio...

Georgia lawmakers debate access to mug shots, police video Press advocates say a bill in the state Legislature would make it practically impossible for the public to access police footage. Lawmakers are considering amendments.

A Georgia bill on the verge of becoming law would make it virtually impossible to obtain police body-cam video, because requesters would be required to name everyone shown in the video. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

‘Significant’ staff cuts drive rising FOIA backlogs | Federal News Network The latest reports from agency chief FOIA officers illustrate how the Trump administration's workforce cuts drove another increase in FOIA backlogs.

federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-overs... A surge in requests coupled with reductions in staffing have created a perfect storm for federal FOIA requesters, who now face record-high backlogs that have grown as much as 42 percent year-over-year.

The Poughkeepsie Journal’s Photo ‘Morgue’ Holds Hudson Valley History. Now a Community Is Trying to Save It. A recent Signature Program at The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts delved into a local treasure trove of information on major events and everyday life.

www.vassar.edu/news/poughke... Across the United States, hundreds of millions of unpublished photos are living on borrowed time, in newsroom morgues that may soon shutter along with newspaper buildings that house them. Here's how one community made sure its visual history will endure.

Super excited about this weekend's symposium at Vassar, spotlighting the under-appreciated consequences when community newspapers die: What happens to decades' worth of photographs that represent an irreplaceable trove of local history? www.vassar.edu/institute/si...

Protect student journalism today with a donation to SPLC! ➡️ https://loom.ly/NZg-qlc

Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez, editor of The Retrograde at UT Dallas, is one of thousands of students who have needed our support in fighting for #studentpressfreedom.

Every gift through Dec. 31 will be matched!

Media Freedom in a Changing World: Frank LoMonte Frank LoMonte is senior legal counsel to the newsroom at CNN, advising the network’s 3,000 worldwide journalists on a wide range of legal issues implicating the right to gather and distribute news. He

My podcast conversation with media-law scholar Anthony Fargo about the state of the First Amendment and student media amid tumultuous times on college campuses. Spoiler alert: All the news is not bad. soundcloud.com/cimlaps/medi...

Student Press Law Center discusses Indiana University's Censorship with CNN's Jake Tapper YouTube video by Student Press Law Center

The Student Press Law Center's Gary Green spoke with @jaketapper.bsky.social @cnn.com last night about the ongoing student media censorship issues at Indiana University and how student journalism everywhere is under attack. youtu.be/ePWmW3NnHJ8

Louisville mayor’s spokesperson lambasts local reporter The mayor’s spokesperson recently lashed out at a local reporter for asking questions. Press freedom experts say it’s part of a growing trend.

There are some very good professional people working in the field of government PR. And then there are those like the Louisville mayor's PIO, who give the profession a bad name. www.lpm.org/investigate/...

Key Biscayne suspends gag order policy - Key Biscayne Independent Share articleThe Village of Key Biscayne has suspended its media policy that prohibited employees from speaking to journalists without prior approval or face disciplinary action. Village spokeswoman J...

Facing a likely defeat in a First Amendment lawsuit, Florida town suspends enforcement of a gag rule that forbade municipal employees from saying anything to the press without permission, under penalty of discipline. kbindependent.org/2025/08/18/k...

Texas Lawmakers Push ‘Massive Secrecy Grab’ to Shield Police Files As public attention has shifted away from policing reform, legislators attempt to shove information into the dark.

“This is the most massive secrecy grab in Texas since the adoption of the Public Information Act.”

New today from @michellepitcher.bsky.social: A move to "standardize" police personnel files could have devastating consequences for transparency.

After string of staff departures, Oklahoma Education Department keeps resignation records secret • Oklahoma Voice The Oklahoma State Department of Education refused to provide resignation letters of several senior employees who left the agency.

Following an exodus of several senior employees from state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ administration, the Oklahoma State Department of Education is now refusing to release records explaining the departures.

Grateful to have this chance to write with Karen Rundlet of @inn.org about the state of Local News and the #PressForward coalition of funders and those we are able to support.

Minnesota assassination spurs wave of state bills to protect elected officials The push to shield lawmakers’ personal information from prying eyes is drawing concerns about public transparency.

The Minnesota assassination is spurring a wave of state bills intended to protect elected officials.

However, the measures are facing sharp criticism from press freedom and government watchdog organizations, which say the bills could be used to keep the public in the dark.

Departure of MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood seen as chance for new start Supporters and critics agree: Issues with MARTA’s service, cleanliness and safety have been mounting for months.

NEW: More details about what led to Thursday’s surprise announcement that MARTA’s GM/CEO was stepping down www.ajc.com/news/2025/07...

Chicago keeps controversial police promotion list secret - Chicago Reader The CPD committed to releasing “merit” promotion lists in 2017. Now, the city claims it would be an invasion of privacy.

The CPD committed to releasing “merit” promotion lists in 2017. Now, the city claims doing so would be an invasion of privacy. | ✍️ Rachel Heimann Mercader and Sam Stecklow at @invisible.institute

What North Carolina’s New NIL Law Means for Public Records, Athlete Contracts, and Agent Rules North Carolina just flipped the script on NIL transparency. Here’s what the new law means for athletes, agents, and access.

A sweetheart FOIA exemption for NIL agreements snuck through the North Carolina legislature and was just signed into law. www.essentiallysports.com/ncaa-college...

Stop Secret Police: They're un-American YouTube video by Student Press Law Center

@splc.org has been calling out the absurdity of "secret police" on college campuses for a long time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSWK...

Brown University police department sued over exemption from RI public records law A University spokesperson said Brown was prepared to “mount a strong effort” defending its exemption from the APRA.

We don't have "secret police" in America -- except on private university campuses, where law enforcement agencies insist they are exempt from FOI laws despite often exercising the same powers as city police. A new lawsuit is challenging the secrecy. www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025...

Background here on the illegality of rules that silence campus housing employees at public universities from saying anything to the press about their work. Accepting a government paycheck does not mean surrendering all First Amendment liberties. scholarship.law.campbell.edu/clr/vol45/is...

Former KU Housing proctor files lawsuit against University Former GP Proctor Anthony Alvarez has filed a lawsuit against University of Kansas alleged his rights to free speech and due process were violated.

A First Amendment lawsuit to watch, significant for the rights of all public employees: A University of Kansas student housing worker was fired for giving an "unauthorized" interview to the news media, violating KU's (unconstitutional) "media gag" rule. www.kansan.com/news/former-...

Their school can censor the student press. They are trying to change that. Student journalists at Alexandria City High School want the school system to change a policy allowing their principal to review stories before publication.

“If your principal is the editor of the paper, it’s not a student newspaper….It’s a public relations sort of newsletter.” www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

My Monday Reliable Sources column about America needing a civics refresher — and the media needing to incorporate some Constitution 101 into day-to-day news coverage — resonated with many readers. Here are some of the responses >>> cnn.it/4kfRF83

Inside a high school newspaper’s fight for editorial independence The Alexandria, Virginia school board says it wants to “help students grow as journalists." Theogony's student journalists wonder who, exactly, the board is protecting.

“I’ve been doing this work for 34 years…and I don’t remember ever seeing a policy that names the principal, in writing, as the editor of the paper." www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/insi...

There's a troubling weakness undermining state and federal FOI rights: A lack of teeth in records retention laws, meaning that hidebound government officials are essentially free to destroy public records they find unflattering to disclose. digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol48/i...

Can DOGE Dodge Transparency Laws? Using the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) as a case study, this article discusses how requesters can—and sometimes cannot—gain access to the records of agencies attached to the White Hous...

Just out (with the brilliant Rachel Jones): What the struggle for FOIA access to DOGE records says about the gaps in federal transparency law that make it possible for powerful executive-branch entities to operate in secrecy. www.americanbar.org/groups/commu...

Just out: Doorbell-cam videos are increasingly a staple of news coverage. Can the homeowner (or anyone) claim copyright ownership of the footage? A "monkey selfie" case tells us, it's doubtful. mississippilawjournal.org/journal-cont...

Just posted: Why the First Amendment forbids judges from restricting the rebroadcast of livestreamed court proceedings. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Opinion | What’s going on at HHS? RFK Jr. has slashed staff, hired a vaccine skeptic to study a debunked link with autism and more.

"Since the 1980s, there has been a surge in federal agencies and many other entities banning employees from speaking to journalists without notifying authorities or public information officers." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...