America’s media, built on the First Amendment, is giving up its fight for press access and rights, citing a lack of cash to sue, the nation’s leading editors are warning in a new report.
Once willing to spend whatever it takes in fighting for their First Amendment rights and access to secrets, the slumping industry is giving up, said the report issued by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“Economic pressures on traditional news companies appear to have diminished their capacity to engage in legal activity,” said the report issued with American Society of News Editors, Associated Press Media Editors, and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
“Of the editors who said the news industry is less able now than it was 10 years ago to pursue First Amendment-related litigation, an overwhelming 89 percent said the reason was money. One put it in stark terms: ‘The loss of journalist jobs and publishers’ declining profits mean there’s less opportunity to pursue difficult stories and sue for access to information,'” said the analysis.
“The results were sobering. While good legal work still goes on, many editors were worried about the future of the First Amendment,” it added.
It was the product of a survey of the nation’s top editors. The results:
— 65 percent said the news industry as a whole is weaker in its ability to pursue legal activity around First Amendment-related issues than it was 10 years ago.
— 53 percent said “news organizations are no longer prepared to go to court to preserve First Amendment freedoms.”
— 89 percent cited economic pressures as the main reason for skipping legal fights.
— 27 percent of the editors said there were cases at their own news organizations that could have been pursued but didn’t
— 44 percent said they were less likely to go on “offense” in First Amendment cases.
Confusion over digital media, and the explosion of blogs, also appear to complicate the fight for media rights, said the survey.
“News organizations have a long history of championing our First Amendment rights, helping to shape and clarify laws on privacy, information access, libel and press freedom. It is vital that they continue this role to ensure accountability and transparency from our public figures and institutions,” said Sam Gill, Knight Foundation vice president for learning and impact.
“With this in mind, the report underlines some important insights suggesting that journalism’s focus on the First Amendment may be dwindling and that we need to study and do more to protect its future,” he added in a statement.
The Knight Foundation backed that up with a $200,000 donation to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and future legal fights.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
