CalCoastNews Contributor

Peter Scheer

Peter Scheer, Executive Director of the First Amendment Coalition (FAC) , is a lawyer and journalist. The views expressed here are his alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAC’s Board of Directors.

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Wikileaks didn’t just happen

OPINION – By PETER SCHEER–The New York Times’ front-page stories on the war in Afghanistan–based on a massive leak of classified US military cables and other documents–are not likely to change the course of the war. But they represent a sea change in the way journalists report on national security. The records for the Times’ […]... (Continue Reading)

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Taxpayers going postal over public employee pensions, perks

By PETER SCHEER—For public employee unions–those representing police, firefighters, teachers, prison guards and agency workers of all kinds at the state and local level–these are the worst of times. Despite record high membership and dues, and years of unparalleled clout in state capitols, public sector unions find themselves on the defensive, desperately trying to hold […]... (Continue Reading)

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Digital strip-search: Case of lost iPhone prototype shows the danger of using search warrant to seize journalists’ information

By PETER SCHEER Search warrants have always been a blunt instrument for finding evidence of crime. Think of television cop shows from the 70s and 80s: A police search of an apartment for drugs was, de facto, a license to ransack all closets, cabinets and dressers. A warrant to seize a letter or other specific […]... (Continue Reading)

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