The
New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), the largest voluntary state bar
association in the country, announced a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the
crisis of local journalism in the digital age and make recommendations on how
New York State, the legal and business sectors can protect local news and
define the future of local media in not only New York but throughout the
country. The initiative will focus on, among other things:
- Highlighting
the crisis of local journalism in the digital age
- Providing
a legal perspective on the various issues facing journalists today
- Bringing
together a regionally diverse coalition of thought leaders in the media
“The
rapid and ever-growing rise of social media as a source of news has triggered a
substantial decline in local journalism. This places at risk First Amendment
values and a vibrant, fearless free press. Now more than ever, our local
news outlets need the support to hold truth to power,” said NYSBA President
Henry M. Greenberg. “The future of local journalism is in jeopardy, but there
has been no major effort to find ways to provide support. NYSBA is taking the
critical first step in trying to address this problem.”
New
York has been directly impacted by the loss of local, hometown journalism. The
number of newspapers in New York State has decreased by 34 percent since 2004,
according to a study by the University of North Carolina. Were this any other
critical industry, government would be called upon to find solutions.
“However,
because of the special nature of the news business, starting with the
constitutionally enforced wall between government and media, the role of the
law in responding to the crisis has not been obvious,” said committee co-chair
David McCraw, deputy general counsel for The New York Times. “With a
foundational element of democracy and civic culture in jeopardy, there is a
compelling need to consider whether there are appropriate legal responses to
the crisis.”
The
NYSBA Task Force on Free Expression in the Digital Age is co-chaired by
McCraw and Cynthia Arato, a partner at Shapiro, Arato, Bach, LLP. It will bring
together experts from different sectors, including media, legal and business.
The
Committee members include:
- David
McCraw, Co-Chair; Deputy General Counsel, The New York Times
- Cynthia
Arato, Co-Chair; Partner, Shapiro Arato Bach LLP
- Hon.
Rolando Acosta, Presiding Justice, First Judicial Department
- Mark
Alcott, Of Counsel, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Jennifer
Borg, Of Counsel, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden
- Joseph
Finnerty, Partner, DLA Piper Global Law Firm
- Hon.
Victoria Graffeo, Former Court of Appeals Judge
- Mike
Grygiel, Co-Chair, Greenberg Traurig, LLP National Media and Entertainment
Litigation Group
- Caitlin
Halligan, Partner, Selendy & Gay
- Susan Harper, Managing Director, Bates Group LLC
- Joel
Kurtzberg, Partner, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
- Lynn
Beth Oberlander, EVP and General Counsel, Gizmodo Media Group
- Hon.
Karen Peters, Former Presiding Justice, 3rd Department
- Hon.
Susan Read, Former Court of Appeals Judge
- Hon.
Robert Smith, Former Court of Appeals Judge
- Kenneth
Standard, Of Counsel, Epstein Becker Green
Hearings
will be scheduled in the coming weeks, and are planned to be held in New York
City, Albany and Syracuse.
NYSBA
has for decades formed task forces and committees to examine current issues in
the law and the legal system, and then make recommendations to address these
issues. The Task Force on Free Expression in the Digital Age will make
thoughtful, practical recommendations that will shape the future of local
journalism.
The
task force is expected to present its report and recommendations in 2020 to
NYSBA’s Executive Committee and House of Delegates
###
About the New York State Bar
Association
The
New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association
in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law,
educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the
rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
Contact: Brendan Kennedy
[email protected]
518-487-5541
