Editorial: A trap hidden in plain sight

Editorial: Protect reporters, and protect everyone

By Paul Fletcher
Published: May 24, 2013
Tags: Federal shield law, First Amendment

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has come out strong for passing a federal shield law. And maybe that’s the one good thing – the only good thing – to come out of the recent controversy over the Justice Department’s seizure of phone records at The Associated Press and the surveillance of Fox News reporter James [...]

Editorial: Keep public notices in print

By Paul Fletcher
Published: December 26, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Municipal

When the 2012 General Assembly convenes next month, expect to see several bills designed to change the time-tested way that people in the commonwealth keep informed about their government. The bills would change Virginia’s laws on public notices, moving them from the printed pages of newspapers across the commonwealth to electronic websites maintained by local [...]

Editorial: A teaching moment at CNU

By Paul Fletcher
Published: October 24, 2011

The faculty and administrators at Christopher Newport University have an opportunity that educators live for: They have a true teaching moment. They can instruct their students on the value of free speech. They can underscore the importance of freedom of the press. They can make a point about respect for opposing points of view, even [...]