State and Local Stories
Liberty Champion Sports Editor Joel Schmieg doesn’t normally write about politically controversial topics but felt he should address the “locker room talk” defense as an evangelical Christian close to the athletic community. Schmieg was surprised when his column was pulled from the Oct. 18 edition of the weekly student newspaper after review by Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. While Schmieg said Falwell censored him for criticizing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Falwell said he opted to pull the column from the sports section and publish a pro-Hillary Clinton letter to the editor on the Opinion page from a medical student. Publishing both the letter and the column, Falwell said Wednesday, would be “redundant.” Frank Lomonte, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Student Press Law Center, challenged Falwell’s argument against duplicating content. “This guy was trying to bring a unique sports writer’s perspective to bear on the issue. In addition to the fact that I don’t believe that’s the real reason, it’s not even a great journalistic argument,” Lomonte said after reading the column. While Lomonte, head of the nonprofit legal aid advocate for student journalists, agreed Falwell is well within the law, he said it’s rare for even high school administrations to routinely pre-review student newspapers.
News & Advance
NOTE: LoMonte serves on VCOG’s board of directors
National Stories
Investigators pursuing what they believe to be the largest case of mishandling classified documents in United States history have found that the huge trove of stolen documents in the possession of a National Security Agency contractor included top-secret N.S.A. hacking tools that two months ago were offered for sale on the internet. They have been hunting for electronic clues that could link those cybertools — computer code posted online for auction by an anonymous group calling itself the Shadow Brokers — to the home computers of the contractor, Harold T. Martin III, who was arrested in late August on charges of theft of government property and mishandling of classified information.
New York Times
After a protracted mediation process and with the clock winding down to a Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission hearing, Newtown Board of Ethics Chair Jacqueline Villa admitted to violating the state FOI Act on two separate occasions, both involving illegal executive sessions — meetings with members of her board closed to press and citizens that should have been conducted in public. The ethics official also admitted to conducting two additional meetings in secret after notifying parties involved that those meetings would be public, but stated she was acting within the law after receiving a partial directive from the town attorney.
The Newtown Bee
Editorials/Columns
The case of Dix, Maute and Lovelace vs. Pittsylvania County Agricultural Development Board (PCADB) is closed?? The county attorney and PCADB chairman gave conflicting testimony regarding the existence of PCADB meeting minutes. Someone lied. The judge stated he’d been hoodooed. Consequently, the judge ordered an 18-month writ of mandamus. Unsure how a writ of mandamus is rescinded after 18 months, the Virginia FOIA Council was asked about the procedure. FOIA council responded, “The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) does not set out a process for rescinding a writ of mandamus, nor do I know of such a process elsewhere. I do not know what happens to a writ that has been rescinded. If you need an interpretation or explanation of a court order, I would suggest contacting the court directly.” Accordingly, a letter was written to the judge asking for clarification on the matter. The letter never made it to his attention because it was deemed ex parte communication. Does the mandamus evaporate from the record after 18 months or does it remain on the record after that time period? What responsibility, if any, is the court placing on petitioners during the 18-month period? Is additional evidence or another hearing required prior to rescinding a mandamus?
Karen Maute, Star-Tribune