Dear Senators Roz Baker, J. Kalani English and Gil Keith-Agaran and Representatives Mele Carroll, Kaniela Ing, Angus McKelvey, Joe Souki, Justin Woodson and Kyle Yamashita: Wow, Opening Day comes around fast. Seems like it was only yesterday that you adjourned for the summer. But here we are: on Jan. 15–just a few days from now–you guys go back into regular session. And while … [Read more...] about An Open Letter To Maui’s State Legislators Asking Them To Stop Exempting Bad Cops From The State Public Records Law
Gerald Kato
Hawai Gov. Neil Abercrombie Appoints Jeff Portnoy To UH Regents
So Jeffrey Portnoy–a longtime friend of us reporters in Hawaii–just got himself appointed to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. The appointment, while not nearly as shocking as, say, Family Guy’s killing off Brian the dog, was also certainly more substantial as, say, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa’s recent Memorandum of Understanding with Monsanto over their disclosing … [Read more...] about Hawai Gov. Neil Abercrombie Appoints Jeff Portnoy To UH Regents
Hawaii Legislative Ineptitude, Contempt For Press Dooms Media Shield Law
Well, that whole experiment with granting honest people in Hawaii who wanted to expose graft and incompetence in our state's powerful organizations and corporations with very generous legal protections that allowed them to speak anonymously to investigative reporters was fun while it lasted. Such individuals, who risk termination and retribution by openly speaking out against … [Read more...] about Hawaii Legislative Ineptitude, Contempt For Press Dooms Media Shield Law
If The Hawaii Legislature Continues To Screw Up HB622, Then The State Reporter Shield Law Should Just Die
For the last five years, journalists and those who provide them information have enjoyed one of the strongest legal protections in the nation. Of the 40 or so states in the U.S. that have so-called Shield Laws, Hawaii had one of the best–it said writers and reporters for newspapers, magazines, online news sites and blogs could do their work without having to worry that … [Read more...] about If The Hawaii Legislature Continues To Screw Up HB622, Then The State Reporter Shield Law Should Just Die
This Tuesday, April 2: New Hawaii Reporter Shield Law Hearing In Senate JDL Committee
Damn, the state Senate Judiciary and Labor (JDL) Committee is really dragging out the discussion on HB622, a new bill dealing with Hawaii’s Reporter Shield Law. First the bill sat for a few weeks in the committee for a few weeks while journalists around the state sweated over the possibility that it would die there, which in turn would allow the shield law itself to expire at … [Read more...] about This Tuesday, April 2: New Hawaii Reporter Shield Law Hearing In Senate JDL Committee