By: David Noack media groups must turn over photos
A Michigan judge has ruled that 11 news organizations, including the Lansing State Journal and The Detroit Free Press, must turn over unpublished photos of rioters taken at Michigan State University.
At a hearing last week, District Court Judge David Jordon gave media organizations three weeks to turn over the riot photos and videos to Ingham County prosecutors.
The news media was back in court seeking to quash a second round of subpoenas for unpublished photographs and videotape of rioting that took place in late March on campus and in the city of East Lansing.
Jordon ruled that reporters who've witnessed a crime are not protected under the media exemption to subpoenas. But news organizations contend that state law exempts the media from investigative subpoenas unless they are the target of a probe.
In addition to the two daily newspapers, the other news organizations to get a second subpoena include: the State News ? the MSU student newspaper ?and television stations WJBK, WKBD and WXYZ in Detroit, WJRT in Flint, WILX in Onondaga outside Lansing, WLNS in Lansing, WWMT in Kalamazoo, and WZZM in Grand Rapids.
?(Editor & Publisher Web Site:http:www.mediainfo.com) [Caption]
?(copyright: Editor & Publisher May 22, 1999) [Caption]
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