Dan Goodin on Nostr: For days press-freedom advocates have been in an uproar over the recent government ...

For days press-freedom advocates have been in an uproar over the recent government raid on a small-town Kansas newspaper’s offices and the homes of its reporters and publisher. The aggressive action is said to have contributed to the death of the Marion County Record’s elderly owner. Following days of public outcry and pressure, the local prosecutor has agreed to withdraw the search warrant and return seized materials to the newspaper and its reporters.

But a similar case has been brewing in Florida for several months that raises the same questions about government searches and seizures of media. It has received much less attention, however, and so far attempts by the journalist in question to get his materials returned has been unsuccessful.

The case involves a freelance journalist and media consultant named Timothy Burke, whose home and office were raided in May after un-aired Fox News video clips he provided to Vice news and another online entity got published last October and in May. Fox News contends the clips were obtained illegally, and prosecutors in Florida seem to agree.

The government says Burke violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). But Burke’s lawyers say his only “crime” was embarrassing Tucker Carlson and Fox News, and that the government has wildly misread the CFAA in order to find cause to seize Burke’s work materials — materials that may include additional unpublished videos that could embarrass Fox News.

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https://zetter.substack.com/p/did-a-journalist-violate-hacking