Categories: OLD Media Moves

Biz media file to keep Waymo-Uber trial open to the public

Gizmodo Media Group, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vox, BuzzFeed, Hearst, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and other media outlets filed a motion Monday to keep the courtroom in the Waymo-Uber trial open to the press and the public.

Kate Conger of Gizmodo writes, “‘There is no compelling reason for the free press to be shut out of this trial, and the court should not carve out one simply because America’s largest tech companies favor secrecy over transparency,’ a BuzzFeed spokesperson said.

“We believe this trial is highly newsworthy. If you buy into the Silicon Valley hype, we’ll all be riding around in self-driving cars in a few years. Waymo and Uber expect the outcome of this case to determine which company will grow their nascent flock of robot cars into a multibillion dollar industry that revolutionizes transportation. Our reporters—and you—have a right to attend this trial. We’re represented by Ballard Spahr, who are arguing that we have a First Amendment right to courtroom access and any closure should be narrowly tailored.

“When asked to comment on our brief, a Waymo spokesperson provided the following statement: ‘Waymo welcomes a public trial and we will work with all parties to minimize closed courtroom time. We have asked to close the courtroom in only a limited set of circumstances to protect Waymo’s trade secrets and confidential business information, as well as current and former employees’ private employment information.'”

Read more here. The San Francisco Chronicle has posted the filing here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.