Defining "Journalists" Could be Tricky, Kirtley Predicts

Prof. Jane Kirtley was quoted in the Star Tribune after St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced that journalists arrested at the Republican National Convention will not be prosecuted. Coleman added that the term journalist "will be defined very broadly." Although applauding the decision, Kirtley predicted that attempting to define who is a journalist expansively could have the unintended consequences of curtailing press privileges and access rights for all.