The “deliberative process privilege” is dead or, at best, on life support. Here’s to pulling the plug on an FOI loophole that never should have been.

By Peter Scheer

The chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, Bill Postmus, refuses to make public his calendar of meetings and other government events. This refusal takes no small amount of chutzpah, since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regularly releases his calendars, as have all other statewide elected officials.

Postmus is not alone. Other, mostly obscure local political figures, outside the media spotlight, have…

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Posted in: News & Opinion

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We should have known. A First Amendment conference featuring Arianna Huffington and Daniel Ellsberg--both appearing in the past week on “The Colbert Report”—would prove very popular. Especially since CFAC’s 9/29 & 9/30 conference at UC Berkeley also includes Judith Miller, Gabriel Schoenfeld, Dan Weintraub, Dan Gillmor, Phil Bronstein and former NSA general counsel Robert Deitz . . . among others.

“IN CONTEMPT,” CFAC’s 2006 Free Speech and Open Government Assembly, is fully booked. But we expect to admit people from the waiting list, so go…

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2 Reporters Get Up to 18 months for Refusing to Reveal Sources in Bonds Steroids Case

By Stuart Silverstein

Los Angeles Times---Two San Francisco Chronicle reporters were sentenced Thursday to up to 18 months in jail for refusing to reveal who gave them secret testimony on the use of steroids by baseball’s Barry Bonds and other star athletes.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in San Francisco was immediately stayed, pending an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, enabling reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada to remain free.…

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Bail revoked for journalist in contempt case

By Demian Bulwa
San Francisco Chronicle--Freelance journalist and activist Josh Wolf is heading back to jail after a federal appeals court on Monday ordered his bail revoked unless he changes course and gives a federal grand jury outtakes of footage he shot at a violent San Francisco protest in July 2005.

Wolf, who has argued that he has a right as a journalist to withhold unpublished material, plans to turn himself in at the federal prison in Dublin before a 1 p.m. Wednesday deadline, said Jose…

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Ginger Moorhouse, Bakersfield Californian Publisher, becomes newest CFAC board member

Ginger Moorhouse, publisher and board chairman of the Bakersfield Californian, has joined the Board of Directors of the California First Amendment Coalition (CFAC), the open-government advocacy organization announced today.

“Ginger will be a great addition to our board,” said Paul Gullixson, CFAC president. “She brings a wealth of media experience and saavy, and she cares passionately about free speech and open-government rights,” he said.

Moorhouse is past president of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association (CNPA) and former board member of Inland Press Association. In…

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Posted in: CFAC In The News

Ninth Circuit Rules That Freelance Journalist Josh Wolf Must Comply With Federal Subpoena
By Stephen Kaus
Huffingtonpost.com--In an unpublished ruling issued Thursday, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled against freelance video journalist Josh Wolf and stated that he must comply with a grand jury subpoena for his unpublished footage.

Winning in the Ninth Circuit is very much the luck of the draw these days. Although Wolf drew a favorable three judge panel for his bail motion, that was the August motions panel. This merits ruling was made by the…

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Freelancer Wolf released from jail pending emergency appeal of contempt

By Bob Egelko
San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 2--Freelance journalist Josh Wolf was released on bail Friday from a federal prison where he had been held since Aug. 1 after challenging a grand jury subpoena that demanded outtakes of videos he shot at a San Francisco protest.

Wolf’s advocates, who included national journalist organizations, saw the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order as a sign that the court is prepared to reconsider the question of reporters’ right to protect confidential sources and unpublished material…

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The Jailing Of One California Journalist And Imminent Jailing Of Two More Represent An Illicit Power-Grab And Usurpation Of State Sovereignty By The Bush Justice Department.

By Peter Scheer

A freelance documentary filmmaker is in jail in Dublin, CA, for refusing to comply with a subpoena to turn over to federal prosecutors the out-takes of his filming of a 2005 street demonstration that turned violent. And two San Francisco Chronicle reporters are packing their bags for jail while they appeal contempt judgments for refusing to reveal to federal prosecutors their sources for evidence…

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Posted in: News & Opinion

CALIFORNIA FIRST AMENDMENT COALITION CONDEMNS FEDERAL CONTEMPT SANCTIONS AGAINST 3 CALIFORNIA JOURNALISTS FOR RESISTING FEDERAL SUBPOENAS FOR SOURCES, OUT-TAKES

The California First Amendment Coalition, at its board meeting in San
Francisco on Wednesday, strongly defended three California journalists
from what it called “unrestrained attacks on a free press” by the federal
government.

“Jailing reporters and employing other means to force them to reveal
confidential sources or hand over unpublished material stifles the free
flow of information, muzzles whistleblowers and prevents reporters from
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Posted in: CFAC In The News

CFAC resolution on protection of journalists’ confidential sources and independence

WHEREAS the United States of America was founded on the principles of free
speech, free press and due process of law; and it’s the role and obligation
of the courts and government to uphold these principles at all times; and

WHEREAS rather than upholding these values, a federal district court in San
Francisco has jailed freelance filmmaker Josh Wolf since Aug. 1 for
refusing to honor a grand jury subpoena for the “out-takes” of his filming…

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Posted in: CFAC In The News