Media Access To Government Records: Getting It and Keeping It

Catherine Cameron, Stetson University College of Law, has published “Not Getting to Yes: Why the Media Should Avoid Negotiating Access Rights.” Here is the abstract.

This article cautions proponents of public access to government records from negotiating over the right to access. As support for this warning, this article details the high-profile events that lead to closure of access to autopsy and crime scene photographs in Florida, including the deaths of Dale Earnhardt and Gianni Versace, a killing spree by executed serial killer Danny Rollings, and the tragic death of Carlie Brucia, and focuses on how access to autopsy and crime scene photographs may have been greater had the media not chosen to negotiate over access. Download the paper from SSRN here.