SAG-AFTRA expressed deep concern over the reported actions of CBS News.
The union responsible for broadcast journalists issued a statement on Thursday condemning CBS News’ alleged decision to seize the notes and research of investigative reporter Catherine Herridge after her recent layoff.
In a strongly worded statement, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) expressed deep concern over the reported actions of CBS News, stating that the alleged move to seize Ms. Herridge’s reporter notes, which include confidential source information, is not only “deeply concerning” but also sets a “dangerous precedent” that threatens the core principles of the First Amendment.
Ms. Herridge, an investigative broadcast journalist, was among the CBS News employees laid off earlier this month. In an op-ed published in The Hill on Thursday, it was claimed that the outlet seized her files, which remain locked in her office.
“It is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter’s files, inclusive of confidential source identification and information,” SAG-AFTRA said in its statement following news reports.
The union said that, from the perspective of the First Amendment, a news media outlet calling a reporter’s research and confidential source reporting “proprietary information” is both “shocking and absurd.”
The union urged CBS to promptly return Ms. Herridge’s materials, asserting that the retention of a media professional’s reporting materials by a former employer constitutes a “serious break with traditional practices.”
“We are encouraged by recent outreach by CBS News to SAG-AFTRA on this matter, and we are hopeful that it will be resolved shortly,” SAG-AFTRA added in its statement.
The Epoch Times contacted CBS News for comment.
Multiple outlets reported that a CBS spokesperson disputed the reports, which were themselves based on unnamed CBS sources, that Ms. Herridge’s files had been seized.
“We have respected her request to not go through the files, and out of our concern for confidential sources, the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure,” the spokesperson said in comments obtained by The New York Post and Deadline.
The CBS spokesperson reportedly said the company is “prepared to pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf, with her representative present as she requested.”
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