SF Video Journalist Held In Contempt

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KCBS)  -- A free-lance journalist has been jailed for refusing to give a grand jury notes and video footage shot during a protest last summer.

Josh Wolf captured portions of a demonstration in San Francisco’s Mission District on July 8, 2005 against the G8 Summit then taking place in Scotland. His attorney argued that Wolf was protected by the first amendment and that his obligation to protect confidential sources outweighed the grand jury’s need to examine the video.

Although some footage of the protest has already been turned over to the grand jury, Judge William Alsup ruled that jurors must be allowed to examine all video images captured at the event to determine whether anything illegal took place.

A police officer was injured during a clash between authorities and protesters. Police allege that protesters also tried to vandalize a patrol car, an allegation that could lead to federal charges.

KCBS’s Bob Melrose reports that Alsup called the case “a slam dunk for the federal government” and refuted Wolf’s claim that sources appearing on the video were confidential.

If federal charges are brought against the protesters, California’s shield law protecting journalists would not apply.

His mother, Liz Wolf-Spada watched as her son was taken away by U.S. marshals.

“I don’t think you should have to go to jail for what I see as defending the rights of the free press in this country, which I think is under attack in every area of our country right now,” she said.

Several civil liberties and journalism advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Reporters Without Borders, and the National Lawyers Guild have criticized the U.S. Attorney's office for improperly using the grand jury. They believe Wolf's case is part of a growing trend of federal prosecutors forcing journalists to disclose confidential sources and unpublished material.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has scheduled a vote for later today on a resolution that would condemn the actions of the federal government in building its case.

(jro)