A San Francisco federal court judge has ruled against The Oregonian in a case in which a lawyer sent sealed court documents related to a Nike case to one of its reporters and then wanted them returned, writes Oregonian editor in chief Therese Bottomly.
Bottomly writes, “They decided we were a party but never addressed the fact we were not entitled to, nor allowed to, view any of the pleadings filed by parties in the case or be heard on them, as the actual parties were.
“Why is this concerning for journalists? First, it means if we receive significant, newsworthy material, we could be forced to return it and not report the information to the public, even if it is highly important to the community.
“Second, any reporters not involved in the court battle and who received such information under identical circumstances, might be free to report on the information.
“In other words, this creates a disincentive for media organizations to join legal battles on behalf of the public and in the public interest. Doing so could limit their ability to freely report on what they learn.”
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