Appellate court, state legislature deal blows to efforts for reporter's privilege

Article Abstract:

A Florida District Court of Appeal failed to overturn the contempt conviction of Miami Herald reporter David Kidwell for refusing to testify about information gathered in a jail house interview with a murder suspect. Kidwell argued that the only exemption to his First Amendment rights was for eyewitnesses to the crime. The state had no right to information obtained during newsgathering after the suspect had confessed but the court disagreed. Two bills in the state legislature that would have addressed the issue expired before being considered.

Florida

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Reporters jailed for refusal to testify at trial

Article Abstract:

Several reporters were jailed in late 1991 for contempt of court or had subpoenas issued against them because they refused to testify about their newsgathering activities or reveal confidential sources. Four reporters in South Carolina and one in Illinois were jailed on contempt charges, the four for refusing to testify in a corruption trial and the one for refusing to turn over a videotape. A reporter in Puerto Rico was subpoenaed to surrender videotapes to a grand jury, but the subpoena was quashed before she was jailed for non-compliance.

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Reporter jailed for refusal to reveal source

Article Abstract:

Roche v. Florida concerned a contempt of court charge against a Florida reporter for refusing to reveal a confidential source. Tim Roche's 30-day jail sentence marked the first time a Florida reporter spent more than a couple of hours in jail for refusing to name a confidential source. The controversy arose during Roche's coverage of a child abuse case for 'The Stuart (Florida) News.'

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