By: Staff reports Mapes Cited For Contempt In Texas Dragging Case
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) of Greencastle, Ind., yesterday paid a $250 bond for CBS Executive Producer Mary Mapes who last week was cited for contempt by a Texas judge.
Mapes was cited for contempt in a high-profile murder case for refusing to turn over outtakes, or unaired video, and transcripts of an interview with Shawn Allen Berry done by Dan Rather for ?60 Minutes II.? Berry is one of three men charged in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr.
The SPJ's board voted over the weekend to provide as much as $2,000 if needed. The money came from the organization's Legal Defense Fund.
?It's a symbolic gesture of support to CBS and its employees for keeping the functions of the media separated from those of the courts and law enforcement,? said Kyle Elyse Niederpruem, president of SPJ.
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Staff reports
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SPJ BACKS CBS IN BATTLE OVER REPORTER'S NOTES
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