‘In the land of the free, journalists are now being raided by SWAT teams in an effort to find out their sources; and this is in spite of the law protecting journalists from this very act. Freelance journalist Bryan Carmody fell victim to the police state in California last year as multiple San Francisco cops with sledge hammers and weapons began breaking down his door in an effort to find out his source for a leaked police report.
Thankfully, Carmody’s case received much deserved attention and and the police department came under heavy scrutiny. After the raid, Carmody filed a lawsuit to go after the tyrants who did this to him. This week, the city of San Francisco announced they will be paying $369,000 to settle claims over its police raid on Carmody’s house last May.
As the Society for Professional Journalists points out, California’s Shield Law protects journalists from being held in contempt for refusing to disclose their sources’ identities and other unpublished/unaired information obtained during the news gathering process (California Constitution, Article I, § 2(b); California Evidence Code § 1070(a)). California Penal Code section 1524(g) provides that “no warrant shall issue” for any item protected by the Shield Law.’
Read more: Journalist’s Home Raided and He Was Kidnapped for Refusing to Name a Source
