SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Georgia state Rep. Andy Welch proposed a bill that would establish a "journalism ethics board" in the state. (Photo: @andywelchga/Twitter)
The Peach State or 'Banana Republic'? Critics Howl Over Georgia GOP's Proposal to Target Journalists With Secretive Ethics Panel
"It's not the government's role to tell journalists how to do their jobs. This bill is unnecessary state meddling with the press."
Apr 04, 2019
Press freedom advocates on Thursday warned of dangers posed by a bill put forward by Republicans in Georgia that would create a journalism ethics board in the state and subject reporters to fines if they don't comply with the new rules.
The so-called "Ethics in Journalism Act" (H.B. 734) would establish an "independent" ethics board with members from the journalism profession selected by the University of Georgia, which is run by the state. The board would create "canons of ethics," set up a system for issuing and investigating complaints about journalists and news outlets, and issue advisory opinions on whether news organizations have violated laws.
Under the proposal, news outlets would also be required to turn over materials--including video and audio files of interviews--if a subject requests the files. Refusal to release the materials could result in lawsuits or fines.
As the Journal-Constitution noted, the rule would give the government more power over journalists than the public has over the legislature:
In calling for subjects of interviews to get access to photographs, audio and video recordings, Welch is setting a higher standard than he and other members of the General Assembly are under. The General Assembly long ago exempted itself from the Georgia Open Records Act, which applies to all other governmental entities in the state.
Six GOP state representatives proposed the bill, with state Rep. Andy Welch leading the effort. Welch recently complained that state reporters have exhibited "bias" when asking him questions about legislation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation said the proposal would lead to violations of journalists' constitutional rights.
"This is clearly an effort to rein in those who have been scrutinizing what's been happening at the Legislature," Richard T. Griffiths, the group's president, told the Journal-Constitution. "Frankly, this is the kind of proposal one would expect to surface in a banana republic, not the Peach State."
The Committee to Protect Journalists called the proposal "unnecessary state meddling with the press."
The bill is just the latest suggestion by Republicans--including President Donald Trump--that the press is untrustworthy and should face consequences for covering politicians in a way that lawmakers find unfavorable.
Adam Klasfeld, a reporter for Courthouse News, tweeted that any reporter willing to sit on the state's journalism ethics board "should weigh long and hard whether he or she is competent to judge the journalism ethics of others."
In a statement, the Radio Television Digital News Association issued a reminder that journalists already abide by ethics rules, including the group's own code--"one of the most cited in the world."
"Journalism ethics are a tool to empower the public to make informed decision about the information consumption," said the group, "not a weapon by which government can silence journalism and avoid the accountability journalism is constitutionally mandated to provide the people of Georgia."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Press freedom advocates on Thursday warned of dangers posed by a bill put forward by Republicans in Georgia that would create a journalism ethics board in the state and subject reporters to fines if they don't comply with the new rules.
The so-called "Ethics in Journalism Act" (H.B. 734) would establish an "independent" ethics board with members from the journalism profession selected by the University of Georgia, which is run by the state. The board would create "canons of ethics," set up a system for issuing and investigating complaints about journalists and news outlets, and issue advisory opinions on whether news organizations have violated laws.
Under the proposal, news outlets would also be required to turn over materials--including video and audio files of interviews--if a subject requests the files. Refusal to release the materials could result in lawsuits or fines.
As the Journal-Constitution noted, the rule would give the government more power over journalists than the public has over the legislature:
In calling for subjects of interviews to get access to photographs, audio and video recordings, Welch is setting a higher standard than he and other members of the General Assembly are under. The General Assembly long ago exempted itself from the Georgia Open Records Act, which applies to all other governmental entities in the state.
Six GOP state representatives proposed the bill, with state Rep. Andy Welch leading the effort. Welch recently complained that state reporters have exhibited "bias" when asking him questions about legislation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation said the proposal would lead to violations of journalists' constitutional rights.
"This is clearly an effort to rein in those who have been scrutinizing what's been happening at the Legislature," Richard T. Griffiths, the group's president, told the Journal-Constitution. "Frankly, this is the kind of proposal one would expect to surface in a banana republic, not the Peach State."
The Committee to Protect Journalists called the proposal "unnecessary state meddling with the press."
The bill is just the latest suggestion by Republicans--including President Donald Trump--that the press is untrustworthy and should face consequences for covering politicians in a way that lawmakers find unfavorable.
Adam Klasfeld, a reporter for Courthouse News, tweeted that any reporter willing to sit on the state's journalism ethics board "should weigh long and hard whether he or she is competent to judge the journalism ethics of others."
In a statement, the Radio Television Digital News Association issued a reminder that journalists already abide by ethics rules, including the group's own code--"one of the most cited in the world."
"Journalism ethics are a tool to empower the public to make informed decision about the information consumption," said the group, "not a weapon by which government can silence journalism and avoid the accountability journalism is constitutionally mandated to provide the people of Georgia."
Press freedom advocates on Thursday warned of dangers posed by a bill put forward by Republicans in Georgia that would create a journalism ethics board in the state and subject reporters to fines if they don't comply with the new rules.
The so-called "Ethics in Journalism Act" (H.B. 734) would establish an "independent" ethics board with members from the journalism profession selected by the University of Georgia, which is run by the state. The board would create "canons of ethics," set up a system for issuing and investigating complaints about journalists and news outlets, and issue advisory opinions on whether news organizations have violated laws.
Under the proposal, news outlets would also be required to turn over materials--including video and audio files of interviews--if a subject requests the files. Refusal to release the materials could result in lawsuits or fines.
As the Journal-Constitution noted, the rule would give the government more power over journalists than the public has over the legislature:
In calling for subjects of interviews to get access to photographs, audio and video recordings, Welch is setting a higher standard than he and other members of the General Assembly are under. The General Assembly long ago exempted itself from the Georgia Open Records Act, which applies to all other governmental entities in the state.
Six GOP state representatives proposed the bill, with state Rep. Andy Welch leading the effort. Welch recently complained that state reporters have exhibited "bias" when asking him questions about legislation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation said the proposal would lead to violations of journalists' constitutional rights.
"This is clearly an effort to rein in those who have been scrutinizing what's been happening at the Legislature," Richard T. Griffiths, the group's president, told the Journal-Constitution. "Frankly, this is the kind of proposal one would expect to surface in a banana republic, not the Peach State."
The Committee to Protect Journalists called the proposal "unnecessary state meddling with the press."
The bill is just the latest suggestion by Republicans--including President Donald Trump--that the press is untrustworthy and should face consequences for covering politicians in a way that lawmakers find unfavorable.
Adam Klasfeld, a reporter for Courthouse News, tweeted that any reporter willing to sit on the state's journalism ethics board "should weigh long and hard whether he or she is competent to judge the journalism ethics of others."
In a statement, the Radio Television Digital News Association issued a reminder that journalists already abide by ethics rules, including the group's own code--"one of the most cited in the world."
"Journalism ethics are a tool to empower the public to make informed decision about the information consumption," said the group, "not a weapon by which government can silence journalism and avoid the accountability journalism is constitutionally mandated to provide the people of Georgia."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.