Publication Items

Legal Battle Looms on Drone Newsgathering [1]

Will the Federal Aviation Administration make drone journalism illegal? The first answer is likely to come soon. Connecticut journalist Pedro Rivera filed suit February 18, 2014, against Hartford police officers who he said violated his First Amendment rights to gather news.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [3]
Technology [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Legal Battle Looms on Drone Newsgathering [1]
Appeals Court Radically Expands FOIA 'Safety' Exemption [6]

A federal appeals court created a sweeping and dangerous precedent January 22, 2014, when it ruled the U.S. public had no right to know whether it is endangered by failures of federal dam safety agencies to do their jobs. If the ruling stands, federal agencies could withhold from disclosure almost any information showing federal failure to protect the public from infrastructure dangers.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [7]
Health [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Appeals Court Radically Expands FOIA 'Safety' Exemption [6]
Finding Funders: A User’s Guide to Foundation-Backed Journalism [10]

Public radio journalist Karen Schaefer shares how she pursued and won a grant, bumps in the road she overcame, lessons learned, and tips for unearthing funders. Photo: Schaefer on the job at a cow barn at Vander Made Farms near Sherwood, Ohio. Photo by Chris Kick, Farm and Dairy.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [3]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Finding Funders: A User’s Guide to Foundation-Backed Journalism [10]
Chem Safety Board Makes Embargo Watch Honor Roll [13]

Journalist Ivan Oransky posted on his blog a critical assessment on January 30, 2014, of a new embargo policy set by the CSB. He found requirements not to seek comment or confirmation of material in an embargoed report "alarming." Unlike many government agencies, the CSB took another look at its policy, and revised it.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [14]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Chem Safety Board Makes Embargo Watch Honor Roll [13]
EWG Database Helps Public, Journos Find Drinking Water Threats [15]

While EPA and local utilities make much data available online, the Environmental Working Group has compiled a tap water database that is much easier to use. It gathers data from the states as well as from EPA, and compiles city-by-city rankings of the best and worst drinking water quality. It also explains the health significance of contaminants and lists contaminants not regulated by EPA.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [16]
Technology [4]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Health [8]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [17]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about EWG Database Helps Public, Journos Find Drinking Water Threats [15]
Feds Raise Fee Barrier to FOIA about Shipbreaking of US Ship Abroad [18]

Maritime historian Jon Ottman has been denied a fee waiver on records he's requested about an aged U.S. Coast Guard cutter that was auctioned to a shipbreaker in Mexico without, he says, being thoroughly checked for toxic and hazardous materials. Photo: America's Queen — Coast Guard Cutter Storis, [19] courtesy US Coast Guard.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [16]
Environmental Politics [20]
Region:
Mexico [21]
Alaska and Hawaii [22]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Feds Raise Fee Barrier to FOIA about Shipbreaking of US Ship Abroad [18]
CDC, EPA Respond to SEJ Complaints about Press Office Obstacles [23]

After the SEJ and the Society of Professional Journalists complained January 20, 2014, about federal agency press office stonewalling in the face of the Charleston, WV, drinking water disaster, the agencies responded. Read the text of their replies here.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [16]
Environmental Politics [20]
Disasters [7]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [17]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about CDC, EPA Respond to SEJ Complaints about Press Office Obstacles [23]
Photog Claims Damages from CalTrans, CHP for Arrest, False Report [24]

The California Highway Patrol lied in reports when it violated the First Amendment rights of news photographer Steve Eberhard of the Willitts News by illegally arresting him to intimidate newsgatherers at a protest site in July 2013, Eberhard says in a legal claim against CHP and Caltrans.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [9]
Journalism & Media [3]
Region:
California [25]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Photog Claims Damages from CalTrans, CHP for Arrest, False Report [24]
FAA Nixes Drones for Journos [26]

Drones might count as new media — and certainly have journalistic uses in covering everything from prairie fires to chemical emergencies. The federal government, which devotes enormous technical resources to spying on its citizens, now says this is illegal. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the ruling, saying there was no grey area: hobbyists can legally fly video drones. But journalists can not. Image: Cade Cleavelin, a science/ag journalism senior at U of Missouri, demonstrates a DJY Phantom quadcopter at the 2013 SEJ Conference in Chattanooga, TN. © Roger Archibald.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Technology [4]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Journalism & Media [3]
Government [27]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about FAA Nixes Drones for Journos [26]
Drinking Water Crisis Reveals Knowledge Gaps [28]

You read about the 300,000 West Virginians who don't know if they are drinking safe water — and ask "Could it happen here?" The answer is "You betcha!" Environmental journalists have many tools for discovering drinking-water disasters-waiting-to-happen in their own bailiwicks.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [16]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Disasters [7]
Chemicals [14]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [17]
National (U.S.) [29]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Drinking Water Crisis Reveals Knowledge Gaps [28]

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