Clay Calvert, director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, was quoted in “Jeff Bezos vs. National Enquirer: Did AMI Break Any Laws?” published in Variety on Feb. 8.

The article features Amazon Chairman and CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos allegations that National Enquirer owner, American Media, Inc. (AMI), engaged in a scheme to blackmail and extort him with the threat of publishing compromising photos. Legal questions have now been raised about the reporting and if any laws were broken.

“You can’t just say, ‘I am a member of the press — I can break a law or extort people because I’m a journalist,’” said Calvert. “The courts have made that very clear over time.”

According to Calvert, “aside from any legal fallout, Bezos’ stand — even at the cost of personal embarrassment — ‘wins in the court of public opinion.’ He’s saying, ‘I’m not going to be held hostage here because [AMI] or President Trump doesn’t like what The Washington Post is reporting.’ In a way, he’s standing up to a free press in the sense that it’s a surrogate battle of Trump vs. The Washington Post.”

Posted: February 12, 2019
Category: College News, Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project News
Tagged as: Clay Calvert, Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project, Variety