GRASS IN REVIEW

GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII

Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society.

 WEEKLY GRASS IN REVIEW   -    July 18, 2007

Support Hawaii Reporter
A Message from Dick Rowland

Often, someone does a magnificent job of pinpointing an issue which we adopt wholeheartedly.  Such is the op-ed below by our friend Mike Antonnucci of the “Educational Intelligence Agency”:  

For the last five years, Hawaii Reporter ( www.hawaiireporter.com) has repeatedly shown what a few dedicated and talented people can do with hard work, a very few bucks, and a nose for news. The independent Internet publication covers every aspect of island life and politics, and its watchdog role is an absolute necessity in what is virtually a one-party state.

Now editor Malia Zimmerman is under subpoena to reveal her confidential sources, e-mails, phone records, notes, and photographs, relating to a story she reported about the failure of Ka Loko Dam on Kauai, which resulted in the deaths of seven people. The subpoena comes from lawyers for landowner James Pflueger, who owns much of the land around the dam, and whose responsibility for the accident is under investigation.

More is at issue than the details of the case, as Pflueger's lawyers are challenging Zimmerman's status as a journalist and her entitlement to protect her sources, merely because no trees are killed to create her publication.

"It seems to me that if a blogger is a journalist, everyone can produce a blog and never be subject to a subpoena," Pflueger's attorney said. His position received support from University of Hawaii constitutional law professor Jon Van Dyke.

"How does she differentiate herself from the zillions of other people who use the Internet, posting things on MySpace or whatever?" he asked. "If we're going to give special protection to the press, we should have some idea of who's in it and who's not."

Internet reporting doesn't fit neatly into the categories of the past. Case law, regulations and standards will take some time to catch up with the new reality. But anyone who visits HawaiiReporter.com will be hard-pressed to confuse it with a teenager's diary on MySpace. If anything, Hawaii Reporter may be overloaded with news stories. Its breadth is breathtaking.

To its credit, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin is firmly in Zimmerman's corner, writing, "Courts should be relied upon to use common sense in determining whether a person spreading news and opinions, whether door to door or across the Internet, needs certain rights in order to preserve the integrity of the First Amendment. Zimmerman clearly falls into that category."

If Zimmerman were merely the proverbial  guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing, it wouldn't matter what she wrote. It's because she had sources -- just like a newsprint reporter -- that she's being singled out.

I'm sure Malia and the Hawaii Reporter would appreciate any expression of support, but as the journalists they are, I think they would like it even better if you would just read their stuff.  

TRY OUR BLOGS
Use these links to access various topics.

The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaii Advisory Committee to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights -- New members appointed July 13, 2007; Its history of supporting racial supremacy 1996-2006; New hope for the future

The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>OHA brand-recognition commercials: Big bucks for self-promotion by a government agency with an evil agenda

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>The Misuse of Taxpayer Money

Read what others have written or add your own thoughts. Click here for more blogs.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Dick Rowland spoke to the Bishop Street Exchange Club on Tuesday, July 10, 2007. He spoke on GRIH, how it got started, what it does and why it is important to all for the preservation of the American Dream.

He will speak at the Lanikai Rotary Club on August 2nd on the same subject at 12:00 – 13.30 p.m.

Also scheduled is a talk at the Honolulu Downtown Exchange Club on August 9th.

UPCOMING EVENTS

All of the Institute’s events, research publication dates and speaking engagements are available on our website.

July 31, 2007
A Luncheon Celebration in Honor of Milton Friedman's 95^th Birthday in the Card Room, Pacific Club
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Save the date! All over the country, events will be held on July 31^st to honor Milton Friedman's vision and the impact he has had on our society. Doug Bandow will be the main speaker at this event.  Co-sponsors include Small Business Hawaii, The Federalist Society, The Heritage Foundation and others.  Lunch will be a sandwich buffet with salads, cookies and iced tea. Cost is $25 payable by July 20. Send checks to the GRIH office. Call or email to charge. Seats limited.

Doug Bandow is the Cobden Fellow in International Economics, Institute for Policy Innovation; Robert A. Taft Fellow, American Conservative Defense Alliance; Bastiat Scholar in Free Enterprise, Competitive Enterprise Institute; and Vice President for Policy, Citizen Outreach.  A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is the author of the recently published Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire.  His other books include The Politics of Envy: Statism as Theology, Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World, and Military Manpower and Human Resources.  Doug is a columnist for the American Spectator.  Click here for a list of his columns and links.  (You will need to choose Doug Bandow from the drop down list and click on "Show Results".)