Do You Hear That Clicking Sound?

This email went out to the Medill listserv this morning:

“it is against the law in illinois to record telephone conversations without the permission of the other party.”

Here was my reaction, minus the profanity:

Come on guys, if this is not taught on literally the first day of class then it should be, and it should be repeated on the second, third, fourth and fifth days. Reporters need to know how to protect themselves and follow the law. It is right up there with knowing your rights to documents, public meetings and court hearings. It is the reason The AP gives its reporters the state statutes to cite when a judge tries to kick them out of the courtroom.

When I interned for the newspaper in Whittier, the cops reporter started every morning by calling the watch commander and saying something along the lines of “This is so-and-so from the Whittier Daily News. I’m recording this phone call so I don’t miss any news you may have for me. Is that alright with you?” At the time I thought this was overkill and I can imagine the officer on the other end of the line thinking, “Gah, every morning. Every morning!” But, despite however annoying the whole practice may have been, that reporter was doing exactly what was necessary to cover herself.

Resources:

Illinois Shield Law

Laws on Audio Recordings

Society of Professional Journalists’ Legal Advocacy Network