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July 23, 2013

Journalists, Animal Advocates File Lawsuit Against Utah "Ag-Gag" Law 
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A group of animal rights advocates and journalists have filed the
first-ever lawsuit against so-called ag-gag laws aimed at suppressing
revelations of animal abuse at farms and slaughterhouses. The plaintiffs
are challenging Utah's 2012 law which imposes a penalty of up to one
year in jail for recording images or sounds of agricultural operations
without permission. While a number of states have passed ag-gag laws,
Utah was the first to attempt a prosecution by charging a woman who
filmed a slaughterhouse from a public street. The case was later
dropped. One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, independent journalist
Will Potter, wrote: "Utah's law, and others like it, directly place both
me and my sources at risk. There's a long history of investigative
journalism in this country based on exactly the type of research and
whistleblowing that these laws criminalize."

 

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