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| After Police Raid and a Hearing, a San Francisco Freelancer Will Get His Property Back | After Police Raid and a Hearing, a San Francisco Freelancer Will Get His Property Back |
| (1 day later) | |
| Bryan Carmody, the Bay Area freelance journalist whose house was raided by the police this month, was to get back his property that was seized — including his laptop and three decades’ worth of archives — following a hearing in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday. | Bryan Carmody, the Bay Area freelance journalist whose house was raided by the police this month, was to get back his property that was seized — including his laptop and three decades’ worth of archives — following a hearing in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday. |
| Mr. Carmody became a target of the San Francisco Police Department in February, when his reporting was used in three local TV news reports on the death of Jeff Adachi, a longtime public defender. The materials Mr. Carmody sold to the TV stations included a police report that revealed Mr. Adachi had collapsed at an apartment in the presence of a woman who was not his wife. | Mr. Carmody became a target of the San Francisco Police Department in February, when his reporting was used in three local TV news reports on the death of Jeff Adachi, a longtime public defender. The materials Mr. Carmody sold to the TV stations included a police report that revealed Mr. Adachi had collapsed at an apartment in the presence of a woman who was not his wife. |
| The police wanted to find out who had given the report to Mr. Carmody. After Mr. Carmody refused to tell them, the police obtained a search warrant, raided his apartment and detained him, in handcuffs, for six hours. | The police wanted to find out who had given the report to Mr. Carmody. After Mr. Carmody refused to tell them, the police obtained a search warrant, raided his apartment and detained him, in handcuffs, for six hours. |
| In a Twitter statement on Tuesday, Mr. Carmody said: “I am pleased that everything that the San Francisco Police took from my office and home will be returned today. This includes the police report, video, records, notes, computers and personal electronics.” | In a Twitter statement on Tuesday, Mr. Carmody said: “I am pleased that everything that the San Francisco Police took from my office and home will be returned today. This includes the police report, video, records, notes, computers and personal electronics.” |
| There are still outstanding motions in the case, including Mr. Carmody’s to quash the search warrants used to enter his home — an early-morning raid in which, Mr. Carmody said, the police wielded a sledgehammer and a battering ram. The police said they were continuing to investigate Mr. Carmody as a possible co-conspirator in what they called the theft of the report. | There are still outstanding motions in the case, including Mr. Carmody’s to quash the search warrants used to enter his home — an early-morning raid in which, Mr. Carmody said, the police wielded a sledgehammer and a battering ram. The police said they were continuing to investigate Mr. Carmody as a possible co-conspirator in what they called the theft of the report. |
| Mr. Carmody’s case has become a cause célèbre for press advocates, who say his journalism is protected by the First Amendment and a California shield law. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and several dozen media organizations, including The New York Times Company, The Associated Press and Dow Jones & Company, have filed an amicus brief in the case. | Mr. Carmody’s case has become a cause célèbre for press advocates, who say his journalism is protected by the First Amendment and a California shield law. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and several dozen media organizations, including The New York Times Company, The Associated Press and Dow Jones & Company, have filed an amicus brief in the case. |
| Some journalists have noted that the Carmody case underscores a relative lack of protection for journalists not backed by large media organizations. | Some journalists have noted that the Carmody case underscores a relative lack of protection for journalists not backed by large media organizations. |
| After all, the day after the public defender’s death, Evan Sernoffsky, a San Francisco Chronicle crime reporter, published an article citing unnamed sources familiar with the same police report Mr. Carmody gave as supporting material to local TV news programs — but Mr. Sernoffsky’s apartment was not raided. | After all, the day after the public defender’s death, Evan Sernoffsky, a San Francisco Chronicle crime reporter, published an article citing unnamed sources familiar with the same police report Mr. Carmody gave as supporting material to local TV news programs — but Mr. Sernoffsky’s apartment was not raided. |
| Audrey Cooper, The Chronicle’s editor in chief, suggested that the difference in the status of staff reporters at large news organizations and freelancers might have figured in the treatment of Mr. Carmody. | Audrey Cooper, The Chronicle’s editor in chief, suggested that the difference in the status of staff reporters at large news organizations and freelancers might have figured in the treatment of Mr. Carmody. |
| “It’s harder to come after our corporation and come into our newsroom than it is a one-person operation,” Ms. Cooper said, adding, “And, of course, no politician in San Francisco wants to pick that fight with us.” | “It’s harder to come after our corporation and come into our newsroom than it is a one-person operation,” Ms. Cooper said, adding, “And, of course, no politician in San Francisco wants to pick that fight with us.” |
| Mr. Carmody’s brand of journalism differs from the kind practiced by deskbound staff members. He is what some in the business call a stringer or, more colorfully, a “night crawler.” That means he jumps on breaking news, frequently in the wee hours. He typically sells his reports to local TV stations and often does not receive on-air credit for his work. | Mr. Carmody’s brand of journalism differs from the kind practiced by deskbound staff members. He is what some in the business call a stringer or, more colorfully, a “night crawler.” That means he jumps on breaking news, frequently in the wee hours. He typically sells his reports to local TV stations and often does not receive on-air credit for his work. |
| “A lot of it is fires, car crashes, homicides,” he said in a recent interview. | “A lot of it is fires, car crashes, homicides,” he said in a recent interview. |
| In an opinion article last week, Ms. Cooper, the Chronicle editor, defended Mr. Carmody while acknowledging that he was a “less-than-ideal” martyr for the cause of press freedom at a time when it is under broad attack. | In an opinion article last week, Ms. Cooper, the Chronicle editor, defended Mr. Carmody while acknowledging that he was a “less-than-ideal” martyr for the cause of press freedom at a time when it is under broad attack. |
| His chosen line of work, which he has practiced for nearly 30 years, may make him someone who does not quite fit the public’s definition of a journalist — but his supporters say he deserves the same protections as any reporter with benefits from a known institution. | His chosen line of work, which he has practiced for nearly 30 years, may make him someone who does not quite fit the public’s definition of a journalist — but his supporters say he deserves the same protections as any reporter with benefits from a known institution. |
| “Freelancers are legitimate journalists,” said Kat Anderson, the interim executive officer at the Pacific Media Workers Guild. “We’re entering a danger zone if we start denying someone is a journalist when they claim they are.” | |
| In a brief interview Monday, before the hearing, Mr. Carmody was defiant. “I have a full-time job at a media company,” he said, referring to his own news agency, North Bay News. “Why they didn’t recognize that, I don’t know.” | In a brief interview Monday, before the hearing, Mr. Carmody was defiant. “I have a full-time job at a media company,” he said, referring to his own news agency, North Bay News. “Why they didn’t recognize that, I don’t know.” |