News University | Today's most popular courses on NewsU, Poynter's e-learning site for journalists. |
| |
Webinars | Our online classroom is just a click away. Learn more. | |
|
|
 
Romenesko
Latest News
Reporting
& Writing
Ethics &
Diversity
Leadership
& Business
Visual
Journalism
Online &
Technology
TV &
Radio
Journalism
Education
|
Article Feedback
View all Romenesko feedback
California AG's spokesman quits after secretly taping reporter
(Read the Article)
Post Feedback |
Feedback Guidelines |
Report Feedback Abuse
Page 1 of 1
Taping in Calif.
Posted by
JT Floore
11/3/2009 10:22:40 AM
maybe some people don't know: the law on taping telephone conversations differs from state to state.
in some, the law requires that you tell...
maybe some people don't know: the law on taping telephone conversations differs from state to state.
in some, the law requires that you tell the other party that you are taping. in others, as long as long as you yourself are a party to the conversation, you do NOT have to tell the person you are talking to that you are taping the conversation.
i have heard a story, presumably true, of the issue arising in fla. in the 1970s. a reporter interviewed a powerul politician on the phone and taped the interview without telling the politician. presumably the interview was on-the-record. when the related story was published, the politician denied making some of the statements attributed to him. the reporter responded: "of course you did. and here's the tape to prove it."
lol.
the powerful politician, however, didn't think it was funny, and he had the state law tightened so that in florida since then you DO have to inform a person you are taping a phone conversation, even if you yourself are a party to the conversation.
a miami herald columnist was fired a few years ago for taping without telling the other party to the conversation, a gross overreaction since the columnist had not used the tape or quoted from it in a column. technically, the columnist broke the law, but so what?
i have periodically taped for years, sometimes telling people, sometimes not. sometimes people don't want you to tape even if the entire conversaiton is on-the-record. for some there is something of a phobia involved.
my goal in taping was NEVER to deceive someone or try to catch them saying something they normally would not say. the goal was always simply to guarantee the accuracy of quotes from an interview that was fully on-the-record.
Page 1 of 1
View all Romenesko feedback
|
|
