Guarding the First


Thirty-one years ago, before "Watergate" became a household word, U.S. journalists found themselves facing a wave of government attempts to gain access to information about their confidential sources.

The subpoenas alarmed a group of journalistic luminaries -- Ben Bradlee, Mike Wallace, J. Anthony Lukas, Tom Wicker and others -- and prompted them to set up an organization to help ensure to that reporters and editors get the legal advice they need in emergencies.

From their discussions, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was launched. Initially, command central was a desk in the press room at the U.S. Supreme Court. In short order, the group went toe-to-toe with Richard Nixon and his lawyers over access to presidential papers. The work never stopped.

Over time, the group's presence and power have grown. Today, it offers advice to journalists in the United States and around the world. The services include a 24-hour hotline, numerous handbooks on media law, a quarterly publication and a tremendously useful Web site -- http://www.rcfp.org/

No matter what your job may be in journalism, I'd recommend a spin through the committee's online offerings. The Web site is a humbling, inspiring reminder of the immense work it takes to guarantee that both the public and news organizations retain the right to free speech.

On the opening page, you'll find a long list of news about recent challenges to freedom of the press. To the left of the news summary are links to numerous resources, including the committee's quarterly magazine, "The News Media and the Law;" legal guides on electronic newsgathering, tape-recording interviews and more; and an automatic generator for Freedom of Information requests.

In addition to the information available on the Web site, the committee also offers an e-mail list with periodic updates on free-speech issues.

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Other articles about groups working to protect freedom of the press are available in the Suite101.com archives.

Among them is a piece from January 1999 headlined, "Protecting freedom of expression -- via the Web." See http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/765/...

And last month, we took a look at assaults on press freedom around the world and highlighted the work of the Committee to Protect Journalists. See http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/765/...

The copyright of the article Guarding the First in Journalism is owned by Daryl Lease. Permission to republish Guarding the First in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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