A Las Vegas Newspaper Wants the Gadgets of a Reporter Who Was Killed to Be Returned

LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Review-Journal wants authorities not to review a deceased reporter’s personal devices and reporting materials.

The prosecution and defense might access Jeff German’s cellphone, four computers, and an external hard drive. They contain sensitive sources and unreleased materials, the newspaper said.

“The Review-Journal appreciates the work of law enforcement to investigate Mr. German’s murder and of all those seeking justice for this heinous crime,” an attorney for the newspaper stated in a letter delivered Thursday to local officials. The publication has severe and urgent worries regarding Mr. German’s seized gadgets containing private sources and unpublished journalistic work.

Prosecutors allege Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles fatally stabbed German on Sept. 2, possibly for German’s reporting on Telles’ time as public administrator. German reported Telles’ bullying, antagonism, and inappropriate contact with a staffer.

Telles lost June’s Democratic primary. He’s jailed.

According to the letter, Las Vegas police seized German’s belongings during their death investigation.

In the letter, Review-Journal attorneys contended the seizure violated the federal Privacy Protection Act, which bans searching and seizing journalistic records. They also maintained that the seized information is protected by the Nevada Shield Law, which provides that no reporter, former reporter, or editorial employee must divulge published or unpublished information gained during newsgathering.

The Review-Journal asked police to meet to review confiscated materials.

The Review-Journal and authorities have worked “cordially and in good faith” since Jeff German’s death to answer concerns about his phone and computers. “Talks have stalled.”

Friday’s email to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office went unanswered. Neither did LVMPD.

Thursday, the newspaper’s attorney spoke with the DA’s office and public defense. The sides haven’t reached a deal yet, she told AP.

Kissinger told the newspaper, “The stakes for a free and independent press in Nevada are significant.” “Law enforcement officials want to analyze these devices, which could reveal the newspaper’s confidential sources. Not in the US. That’s why we have press shield laws.”

The Review-Journal published German’s final story on Friday. It investigates the Las Vegas-based Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia group, and their legal issues after the Jan. 6, 2021, rebellion. Another reporter finished the story following German’s death.

Credits: Fox5Vegas

Copyright 2022 702 Times, NV Globe. All rights reserved.