Media law talk highlights leaks

A expert in media law said the Obama administration has pursued policies differently than transparency and press advocates have hoped.

The speaker, Bruce Brown, discussed the relationship between the government and media to about 100 students at the conclusion of First Amendment Day festivities.

Brown, the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, gave a brief history of leak investigations conducted during the Obama administration and shared his thoughts on how the media ought to respond.

Brown detailed this summer’s investigation of former State Department contractor Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, charged with leaking top-secret information to Fox News. This led to the journalist in contact with Kim being charged as a co-conspirator.

The U.S. Department of Justice claimed it had no choice but to identify the reporter, James Rosen, because of the Privacy Protection Act, he said.

This past summer, Brown worked with the Reporters Committee, which led a coalition of more than 50 news groups and journalism organizations to influence the Justice Department to reform its guidelines, which had not been altered since the 1980s.

They have made headway, including bringing search warrants under federal policy.

Previously only subpoenas were mentioned; now, search warrants have to be approved by the attorney general too.

Journalism professor Cathy Packer said it was vital for students to understand this issue.

“Many of our students are about to enter this world where they are going to have confidential sources, and they need to be aware of the threats the government may pose if and when they’re writing stories about national security,” she said.

“Citizens should be concerned about this because these issues are really about the balance of power between the government and the press.”

Kenan Bateman, a junior advertising major, said he values confidentiality in reporting.

“At the end of the day, investigations into different topics require confidentiality,” he said. “Without that confidentiality it protects the government too much.”

university@dailytarheel.com