Journalism Ethics Board Proposed In Georgia

ATLANTA, GA -- A bill that would create an ethics board for journalists in Georgia was filed on the last day of the legislative session, and will be on the docket when lawmakers return for the 2020 General Assembly. House Bill 734, entitled the "Ethics In Journalism Act," was introduced by six GOP state representatives from across Georgia, including state Rep. Timothy Barr of Lawrenceville. It would require news organizations to provide copies of pictures and audio and video recordings of interviews to subjects who request them or risk civil penalty.

The bill would also create a board of media professionals and academics who would develop a voluntary journalism ethics process that would also allow for the investigation and sanctioning of journalists. The board does not have any power to punish journalists other than to remove its own accreditation.

The bill's main sponsor is state Rep. Andy Welch of McDonough. The Henry County lawmaker is retiring.

President Donald Trump has warred with numerous media outlets during his tenure in the White House, repeatedly calling CNN a "fake news" outlet, and recently calling attention to MSNBC's falling ratings after Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller found no evidence of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election.

A recent Gallup survey found less than half of Americans have "a great deal or fair amount of trust in the mass media." Only 21 percent of Republicans surveyed by Gallup said they have a great or fair amount of trust in the media, compared with 76 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of independents who say the same.

Reaction to the bill was swift. UGA media law professor Jonathan Peters had a short statement:

The Radio Television Digital News Association issued this reply:

"There's no question here that it's an unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of the press," Ian Byrnside, an Atlanta attorney, told CBS46. "No matter how benevolent that someone may try and make this legislation sound, the public should be deeply concerned any time elected officials try and place limits on how or what the media reports."

Bob Houghton, with the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, told the station the idea is absurd. "You start with an unconstitutional situation and then take, how in the world are you going to police and take care of something like this? It's got problems from so many different aspects that I just don't see it gaining traction."