Kevin Z. Smith
To the American founders, news gathering was an essential element of democracy— a way to bring daylight into the macinations of government. West Virginia remains one of the few states without a shield law protecting media sources. While the Observer is working to enact legislation in West Virginia, Congress is considering federal legislation to enact a national shield law. Guest columnist Kevin Z. Smith is president of the Society of Professional Journalists. Smith is a native of Fairmont, W.Va. He spent 19 years in the newspaper business in …

 
The Observer’s Thomas Harding was awarded the 2010 Outstanding Journalist Award from the West Virginia Association for Justice on June 3, 2010 at the WVAJ 52nd Annual Convention and Seminar in Charleston, W.Va. Beth White, WVAJ executive director and Timothy C. Bailey, WVAJ past president, presented the award in recognition of The Observer’s efforts to shed light on the democratic process, in particular, the Freedom Of Information aAt request for petition names gathered for the November 2009 zoning referendum in Jefferson County.
In presenting the award White said, “The media play …

 
On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8–1 decision in a First Amendment case that could impact the outcome of a case now before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. The high court ruled that disclosure of information on petitions for ballot referenda does not violate the First Amendment.
The Doe v. Reed case centers on the release of petition names gathered for the referendum on same-sex marriage in the state of Washington. According to Washington state law, petition names can be disclosed to the public as part …

Bluefield Telegraph editorial May 2010:
http://bdtonline.com/editorials/x537287722/Freedom-of-information-High-Court-must-support-public-s-right-to-know

Amicus briefs were filed in the West Virginia Supreme Court Friday 16 April 2010 by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Society for Professional Journalists. They provided support in the case The Shepherdstown Observer vs Jennifer Maghan. A brief was also filed by attorneys on behalf of The Observer.
The case centers on The Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request for the list of petition names collected in support of a vote on the Jefferson County Zoning Referendum, which took place November 7 2009. The County Clerk …