Abstract
Senate Bill 98 (S.B. 98), signed into law on October 9, 2021, aims to safeguard the right of journalists in California to cover public protests without police interference. However, the bill is silent as to who qualifies as a journalist and thus falls under its protections. This Note analyzes different approaches to defining the press in the legal, academic, and journalistic fields. In the context of S.B. 98, it advocates for a broad, process-based definition that encompasses a wide range of newsgatherers, from established professionals writing for major publications, to individuals documenting the events unfolding in their communities with nothing more than a phone and a social media platform.
Recommended Citation
Daniel Lemer,
S.B. 98 and the Outer Limits of Journalism,
57 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 217
(2024).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr/vol57/iss1/6
