Society also asks for pause in crafting model anti-doxing legislation, saying that too-vague laws could adversely affect legitimate journalistic inquiry
Image by Hannah Wernecke on Unsplash
The Society of Professional Journalists is “deeply disappointed” by Paramount Global’s decision to settle with President Donald Trump over his lawsuit against the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” the Society announced July 2.
“This is not just a legal settlement — it’s a travesty,” SPJ President Emily Bloch said in the statement. “Rather than defend a foundational journalistic practice, Paramount sent a $16 million message that journalists should be punished for doing their jobs.”
In an unrelated issue affecting journalists, SPJ joined eight other press and free speech organizations in urging the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) “to pause efforts to draft model anti-doxing legislation, warning that such laws risk becoming tools to punish legitimate journalism and public advocacy,” the Society said in a July 7 statement.
Photo by Jubal Kenneth Bernal on Unsplash
In a letter sent to the ULC’s Doxing Study Committee, SPJ and its partners cautioned that the term “doxing” is vague and subjective – “one man’s ‘dox’ is another man’s call to accountability” – and that imprecise legislation could be weaponized to silence criticism of public officials and chill constitutionally protected speech.
Read the entire statement about the Paramount Global settlement here.
Read the entire statement about the anti-doxing legislation here.
SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter 