JURIST - Paper Chase: NY court says September 11 tapes can't be edited by media

In Tuesday's media and information law news, AP reports that a NY state appeals court has ruled that audiotapes of emergency workers' response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks can't be edited to remove the workers' personal feelings. The ruling, made in response to a request by The New York Times to review tapes of 911 calls made after the attacks, reversed a lower court decision that had allowed the material to be edited from the tapes. The court's decision can be found here.... Pending media legislation in Kazakhstan has many journalists and media groups worried about the scope it will give the government to intervene in news operations, according to Eurasianet. The legislation, which has been approved by the lower house of parliament and seems likely to pass the upper house, gives the government greater power to suspend or withold registration for news organizations.... Following up on a story reported yesterday in JURIST's Paper Chase, three journalists arrested in Zimbabwe have been released on bail after being charged with defamation, The Star in South Africa reports. The journalists, who face the charges after printing a story alleging Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe commandeered a national airline jet for private use, must appear in court again at the end of the month.

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