Blog
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Hellbender Download
COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE FOR PNA MEMBERS Federal judge strikes down Fish and Wildlife ruling that hellbenders are not endangered In partnership with the Bay Journal, the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association is providing this article to our members to publish in print or online at no cost. A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service…
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Headlines & Deadlines Archive
Headlines & Deadlines, the biweekly newsletter from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, delivers key updates on member publications statewide, event invitations (virtual and in-person), job listings, free resources for local and national publishers, breaking industry news, and more. This archive of the Headlines & Deadlines newsletter includes the past 10 weeks of updates, insights and industry…
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Law Enforcement Officer Names
Q: I requested access to the names, job titles, salaries, length of service and employment contracts for members of our local police department. The agency denied access to officers’ names saying that all the officers might, at some point, operate undercover. Can they do that? A: No, public employee names, job titles, salary and other…
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Pennsylvania Shield Law
Q: Are there any laws that protect the identity of confidential sources, and what do these laws mean for journalists in our newsroom? A: Pennsylvania’s Shield Law offers robust protection against compelled disclosure of confidential source information, and federal law offers more limited protections based on a qualified right under the First Amendment. The Pennsylvania…
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paula knudsen burke, esq
SPEAKER PROFILE Paula Knudsen Burke is a RCFP Local Legal Initiative staff attorney. She joined the Reporters Committee in 2020 from LNP Media Group, Inc. A licensed Pennsylvania attorney for two decades, Paula has worked in both the legal and media fields. In 2017, she helped launch The Caucus, a watchdog publication covering state government…
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Melissa Melewsky, Esq.
SPEAKER PROFILE Melissa Melewsky is Media Law Counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. She provides legal advice and advocacy to newspapers across the Commonwealth on a wide range of legal topics affecting the newspaper industry. Melissa also advocates for newspapers as an amicus curiae in the Pennsylvania judicial system in cases affecting the newspaper industry…
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Access to Warrants
Q: Which rules govern public access to arrest and search warrants and their supporting documentation, like affidavits of probable cause? A: Public access to arrest and search warrants is governed by the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, which must be applied consistent with the constitutional and common law presumption of access that attaches to judicial…
