Film-TV Union Issues Strong Condemnation of CBS Seizure of Herridge's Files

SAG-AFTRA strongly condemns CBS News' decision to seize Catherine Herridge's reporter notes and research from her office, including confidential source information. This action is deeply concerning to the union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals and threatens the very foundation of the First Amendment.

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It is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter's files, inclusive of confidential source identification and information. From a First Amendment standpoint, a media corporation with a commitment to journalism calling a reporter’s research and confidential source reporting "proprietary information" is both shocking and absurd.

(via Catherine Herridge and RedState)

Ed Morrissey

Duane and I discuss this in today's Week in Review, which will go up this afternoon. It's possible that Paramount Plus execs simply executed a rather standard practice in corporate layoffs by claiming all of this as work product owned by the company. Don't forget that most of the 800 jobs eliminated weren't news media jobs, and we don't know whether Paramount Plus did or didn't do this with other reporters laid off. 

It's still disturbing nonetheless, and it's good to see SAG-AFTRA make this a real public fight. They do hint that CBS News may want to resolve this quickly, so read the statement to the end.  

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