A King County judge in Washington has ruled that five media outlets must turn over photos and videos from a protest in Seattle on May 30, 2020.
King County Superior Court Judge Nelson Lee ruled that the materials were necessary in the Seattle Police Department’s investigation of stolen firearms and burned vehicles.
Typically, media outlets are protected by the state shield law. With that said, authorities cannot pursue other investigations if the photos and videos contain evidence of other crimes being committed.
The five media outlets include The Seattle Times, KIRO 7, KING 5, KOMO 4 and KCPQ 13. Seattle Times Executive Editor Michele Matass Flores has said that the ruling puts the “staff’s physical safety, at risk.”
“The media exist in large part to hold governments, including law enforcement agencies, accountable to the public,” she stated.
“We don’t work in concert with government, and it’s important to our credibility and effectiveness to retain our independence from those we cover,” she added.
Many of the media outlets have argued that the videos and photos from the protest are of no use because police will not be able to identify suspects from them.
“You have to have a strong reason to believe there is actually going to be critical evidence [in the images and videos before subpoenaing them],” Attorney Eric Stahl said.
There has been speculation that the outlets would appeal the decision. However, no outlet has definitively defied the order as of yet.