Fergie's Tech Blog

Journalists Give $30,000 to Defend Jailed Video Blogger

Michelle Meyers writes on the C|Net Media Blog:

The Society of Professional Journalists board of directors voted 23-0 at a conference last week to award a record $30,000 grant to jailed independent journalist Josh Wolf's defense fund.

One of the Internet's earliest video bloggers, Wolf, 24, refused to testify before a U.S. grand jury and also refused to hand over unpublished video footage he shot during a clash between San Francisco police and anti-G8 protesters in July 2005. He was found in civil contempt and sent to a federal prison in Dublin, Calif., on Aug. 1. He could remain there until the grand jury term expires next July.

Wolf might normally be protected by California's shield law. But federal prosecutors, who among other things want to see if Wolf's footage shows a San Francisco police car being set on fire at the protest, say they have jurisdiction over the case because the car was paid for in part by federal dollars.

posted by Fergie @ 8/29/2006 03:08:00 PM