The Nevada Press Association issued the following press release on the case of a Las Vegas journalist being ejected from a court room for refusing a judge’s order to restrict their reporting.
PRESS RELEASE
The Nevada Press Association is deeply troubled by the removal of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters and a photographer from a Clark County courtroom Wednesday after they declined to accept a judge’s condition restricting what they may report, including reporting an alleged victim’s name. Judges do not have the constitutional authority to dictate what the press can publish. The First Amendment protects a free press from government censorship and prior restraints, and courts must not impose content-based restrictions on journalists as a condition of access to public proceedings. We stand with the journalists who were exercising their fundamental rights and will continue to defend press freedom and the public’s right to know.
Additional Statement
Sparks Tribune Publisher Sherman R. Frederick also criticized the judge.
“This is way over the line,” Frederick said, adding: “I hope the judge reconsiders.”
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