Will 'Amendment 1' Trump 911?

Image by KayVee.INC via Flickr

The Associated Press reports that a handful of states, including Alabama, Wisconsin and Ohio, are considering whether to join the ranks of states that have outlawed the public release of  emergency 911 recordings.

Wyoming, Rhode Island, Missouri and Pennsylvania already have laws in place that prevent  the often frantic emergency call recordings from being aired by the news media. Proponents of the ban claim releasing transcripts or audiotapes of the 911 calls infringe on individuals' privacy and deter people from calling authorities for help. Advocates for airing the emergency messages cite the watchdog function of the news media that might expose incompetence by officials responding to the pleas for assistance.

The First Amendment argument is a legitimate one, but news media outlets probably would elicit more support for their position if they could overcome their obsession with repeatedly airing the 911 calls of Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen and other notorious dialers.

SPJ Hopes to Derail Ohio Bill Banning 911 Calls from TV Newscasts

Image via Wikipedia

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), whose ranks include more than 8,000 journalists nationwide, has fired off a letter to Ohio State Senators Tom Patton and Bill Seitz, opposing a measure the solons introduced that would prohibit broadcasting 911 emergency calls on tv newscasts.

S.B. 105, if passed, also carries a $10,000 fine for infractions.  The sponsoring senators claim the bill would protect the identity of emergency callers.  In the December 17 letter, the SPJ condemned S.B. 105, writing that banning  audio 911 calls from the airwaves would make it "virtually impossible for citizens to hear how calls are being handled and effectively hold emergency response centers accountable."

It's one thing to impede the news media's coverage of breaking news events, but forcing local tv news stations to get rid of their cheesy graphic of a tape recorder superimposed on a map while the 911 audio airs is just mean.