The case of Vanessa Leggett, an independent, courageous and principled writer who refused to turn over her unpublished notes to prosecutors deserves notice. So far, to the shame of the government and the judiciary, she has been in jail 37 days. Texas prosecutors are attempting a second try at a murder conviction (a jury acquited the defendant in 1998) and insist they require Vanessa's unpublished research. The excellent folks at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who deserve our praise for the support they have lent Vanessa and who have helped me on occasion, have collected legal documents here: http://www.rcfp.org/leggett.html They've set up a legal defense fund, and I urge Politechnicals who can afford a few dollars (or other currencies) to contribute. You can mail checks to: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press 1815 N. Fort Myer Dr., Suite 900, Arlington, VA 22209 Or to Vanessa's lawyer: Mike DeGeurin Foreman DeGeurin Nugent & Gerger 909 Fannin, Suite 590, Houston, Texas 77010 A Washington Post op-ed today raises Politech-related themes (technology reducing the economic barriers to publishing and reaching a worldwide audience): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60302-2001Aug25.html So let's return to the question: Just who is a writer? The obvious first answer to the question is: Anyone who writes. That is the old formula -- if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck . . . . But such an all-embracing definition may be too broad for situations where there are strong countervailing societal interests. A murder investigation would be viewed as such a situation. Someone with crucial information shouldn't be able to declare himself a "writer" and thus frustrate a legitimate state inquiry. The Post has, with the help of the RCFP, compiled a list of 13 other reporters who have been jailed for refusing to turn over information in the last two decades: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60300-2001Aug25.html Newsweek ran a relevant interview with First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams: http://www.msnbc.com/news/618598.asp -Declan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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