The Virginia General Assembly now has two former journalists as members, and they are hoping to move forward with bills to increase press freedom.
High school newspapers shouldn’t be bullied or told what to do by principals and administrators. That’s the idea behind a bill introduced by Delegate Chris Hurst, a Democrat from Blacksburg who is a former television news anchor.
“In 2012, a media advisor at Madison County lost her job after she approved a student newspaper edition that published a story criticizing the conditions of school facilities, and their lack of compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act,” Hurst said during a news conference Monday.
Delegate Danica Roem is a Democrat from Prince William County and a former newspaper reporter. She’s introducing a bill to protect anonymous sources, which she says protects the mission of journalism. (Read more…)