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March 2007 - Posts

Thursday, March 29, 2007 5:50 PM

A gift from Truman

A special thanks to the Truman State student chapter in Kirksville, Mo. for a donation it sent to the Legal Defense Fund. Donations help SPJ meet the growing demand for legal assistance we are getting from journalists. Those who follow this blog know
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:28 AM

Putting up a shield in Texas

Journalists in Texas are taking on the effort to get a shield law passed. Among those testifying is former Fort Worth Chapter President Gayle Reaves. The Houston Chronicle has a piece on the discussion in Austin.
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 26, 2007 12:36 PM

Free the Free Press

The appeal for the Mankato Free Press could be filed this week. The government wants the to subpoena the Minnesota paper to get its reporting from a December standoff that led to two officers being shot and the suspect killing himself. The paper has
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 26, 2007 12:09 PM

Region 6 spring conference

The Midwest Journalism Conference in Minneapolis continues to be strong. Much of the conversation was about the rapidly changing world of the journalism business. Many of the sessions will be available on the web site in the next few days. Region 6 Director
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 22, 2007 11:12 AM

Krayeske is free

The case against Hartford freelance journalist Ken Krayeske has been dropped. That's good news for those of us who believe people, including journalists, should be able to take pictures of a parade in a public street. Krayeske was arrested Jan. 3 while
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 19, 2007 2:37 PM

Josh Wolf's mom posts

Liz Wolf-Spadea has posted a piece on her son's web site asking for help to get her son out of prison.
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 19, 2007 11:51 AM

Another Conn. photog says he was hassled by police

Daniel Smith, who works for the New Haven Advocate, tells of his efforst to shoot photos in front of a bar during a parade. Ken Krayeske was arrested in Hartford Jan. 3, taking pictures of the governor's inaugural parade. He has a pretrial conference
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 15, 2007 7:32 PM

Student Free Press Bill Passes Illinois Senate

State senators in Illinois today approved a bill designed to strengthen the press rights of college students.The vote was 57-0. For more information, check out this SPLC article.
posted by NeilRalston | 1 Comments
Thursday, March 15, 2007 11:50 AM

Story leads to investigation into leaks

Stories on espionage have the government looking into who leaked to a Washington Times reporter. The New York Sun reports.
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 10:05 PM

Washington House Passes Student Press Bill

The Washington state House of Representatives today approved the student press freedom bill by a 58-37 vote. The vote pretty much was along party lines with Republicans opposing efforts to extend press freedom to high school and college students.
posted by NeilRalston | 0 Comments
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 11:25 AM

Miller's case delayed

The arraignment for Carlos Miller, the Miami independent journalist police arrested Feb. 20, was scheduled for Wednesday and has been postponed. Miller said in an e-mail it is because of a backlog of cases in Miami. The Miami Herald's crime blog reports
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 12, 2007 1:03 PM

Who's a journalist? Minnesota judge says bloggers, that's who

The debate about who is a journalist is one we have not been eager to jump into in this organization. It can lead down a slippery path to the government licensing journalists. In Minnesota, a judge has said bloggers are journalists. He used the landmark
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Friday, March 09, 2007 1:06 AM

Cameras in Minnesota courts

The Minnesota Pro Chapter has joined a number of other media groups in the state to petition the courts to allow better access of cameras and recording devices in court. The details and the petition are on the Minnesota SPJ web site.
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 08, 2007 7:12 PM

Oklahoma chapter is OK

Some might recognize the headline as a play on the state's license plate. I can report that it is more than OK, after meeting with several board members at the home of Mick and Sue Henin in Norman, Okla., Wednesday. Mick is a capitol reporter for
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 08, 2007 2:41 AM

Washington Post Gives Wolf Some Ink

Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post wrote a story about Josh Wolf and efforts to get him released from jail. You can check it out here.   Dave Aeikens adds: While Kurtz has the debate in his column about whether Wolf is a journalist, SPJ has spoken,
posted by NeilRalston | 0 Comments
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 1:11 PM

On the road this week

I have been on the road this week traveling from Minnesota to Oklahoma to visit relatives. Laptops are a great invention provided you can find wireless service. Updates from me to this blog will be dependent on that. The trip gives me a great
posted by DaveAeikens | 1 Comments
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 1:07 PM

LDF to back Carlos Miller

Late Tuesday, SPJ's LDF committee agreed to give $1,000 to  a Miami photographer who arrested while taking pictures on a public street of police interviewing people in accident. Carlos Miller is an independent journalist working on a piece about
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 1:04 PM

First Amendment prevails in KC

The KC Star and the alternative papers that were told to take down a story from their websites got an appeals court to reverse the decision and have published. Cooler heads prevailed. This was a case we were watching closely and working with KC Pro
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Monday, March 05, 2007 6:46 PM

Prior restraint in KC

A judge in Kansas City on Friday ordered the Star and an alternative paper to remove a story from their websites, saying it would harm a ultility. It is a shocking decision and the Star is working to get the decision overturned. LDF Chairman Dave Aeikens
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments
Friday, March 02, 2007 9:14 PM

Legislators in Illinois, Oregon Trying to Expand Student Press Rights

    Lawmakers in Illinois and Oregon have made proposals that would strengthen the press rights of students in their states.     The Oregon proposal, which would help high school and college students, is similar to a proposal
posted by NeilRalston | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 01, 2007 3:25 PM

Miami photographer arrested

SPJ's South Florida chapter is working on behalf of Carlos Miller, a Miami free-lance photojournalist who was arrested taking pictures of police interviewing a supposed accident victim on a public street. Miller spent the night in jail and the police
posted by DaveAeikens | 1 Comments
Thursday, March 01, 2007 12:22 PM

The latest on the Kyl amendment

Here is a story in The Hill about SPJ's and other organizations efforts to stop the amendment from U.S. Sen Jon Kyl of Arizona. The measure would make it crimkinal to release classified information.  
posted by DaveAeikens | 0 Comments