Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court in Larson v. Gannett Co., Inc. The brief argues that the Court should affirm the court of appeals decision that the fair report privilege applies to news coverage of official press releases and official press conferences. A decision to paraphrase official statements or to provide context for those statements should not defeat the privilege and should not create a jury issue, the brief states. For the sake of democracy, the brief concludes, the Court should not subject journalists to liability for doing their jobs – but should reaffirm a robust privilege for fair and accurate reports of official documents and proceedings. [2018]
