Politics

Justice Dept. Unveils New Guidelines for US News Leak Probes

Published

10 years ago

January 15, 2015

In this Dec. 1, 2014 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The Justice Department on Wednesday announced revised guidelines for obtaining records from the news media during leak investigations, removing language that news organizations said was ambiguous and requiring additional consultation before a journalist can be subpoenaed. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced revised guidelines for obtaining records from the news media during criminal leak investigations, removing language that news organizations said was ambiguous and requiring additional levels of review before a journalist can be subpoenaed.

The updated policy revises protocols announced last year amid outrage among news organizations over Obama administration tactics.

The new guidelines come just days after the Justice Department formally abandoned a years-long effort to compel a New York Times reporter to testify in the trial of a former CIA officer accused of disclosing classified information. The actions, taken together, are signs of a more modulated approach for an administration long criticized for its aggressive handling of leak cases.

“These revised guidelines strike an appropriate balance between law enforcement’s need to protect the American people and the news media’s role in ensuring the free flow of information,” Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday.

The Justice Department began reviewing its own longstanding guidelines in 2013 and last February issued new rules designed to give news organizations an opportunity to challenge subpoenas or search warrants in federal court. But news organizations expressed concern that the protections applied only to journalists involved in “ordinary newsgathering activities,” language they said was vague and could be exploited by zealous prosecutors.

That provision has been deleted in the new guidelines, which also require the attorney general in most instances to authorize subpoenas issued for the media and for the Justice Department’s criminal division to also be consulted.

“We are very pleased the Justice Department took our concerns seriously and implemented changes that will strengthen the protection of journalists for years to come, with the public being the ultimate beneficiary,” said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt.

AP General Counsel Karen Kaiser praised the changes for eliminating “potential ambiguity of what constitutes newsgathering and help provide consistency in how the guidelines are interpreted across investigations and administrations.”

The guidelines could “play an even more important role” now in protecting source confidentiality since the Supreme Court last year passed up a chance to provide clarity on the issue and Congress has yet to enact a federal reporter shield law, said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

“To have a strong policy like this that presumes so much in favor of reporter/source confidentiality is a very significant turn of events,” he said.

The Obama administration has been criticized for bringing more leak cases than all predecessors combined, with media organizations particularly critical of maneuvers they said were needlessly aggressive and intrusive into newsgathering operations.

Under Holder, the department secretly subpoenaed telephone records from Associated Press reporters and editors during an investigation into a 2012 story about a foiled terror plot, and obtained a search warrant for the emails of a Fox News journalist as part of another probe.

But in the last year, the twilight of Holder’s six-year tenure as attorney general, the department has shown signs of softening its stance.

Holder, for one, has publicly expressed regret for the actions in the Fox News case and has repeatedly said no journalist would go to jail under his watch for doing his or her job.

Last month, the Justice Department said it would no longer try to force New York Times reporter James Risen to reveal his sources in the trial of ex-CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, which opened this week in Virginia. On Monday, prosecutors formally announced that they were abandoning efforts to seek any testimony from him after they said Risen made it clear that he “will not answer questions that go to the heart of the case.”

Lucy Dalglish, dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, said any shift in Justice Department practice should not be mistaken as a newfound sign of benevolence for the news media. Instead, federal prosecutors are aware that a subpoena to a journalist inevitably causes prolonged court fights and a public-relations bruising, and so have looked for other ways to build criminal cases against leakers.

“It’s time-consuming, it’s expensive, it takes your attention away from what you’re trying to accomplish,” she said of going after journalists “And I believe that, in recent years, they have become more confident that they can handle these cases without cooperation from journalists.”

But, she added, “If they didn’t think they had the tools to pull off these investigations, they wouldn’t be giving the media a break.”

___

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2024

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To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org