A federal court has struck down an Oregon law which made most secret recordings illegal.
Previously, Oregon residents could not record an in-person conversation without informing the speakers, except during felonies or police activity. These rules did not apply for recordings made over the phone.
This month, judges from the Ninth Circuit found that this statute violated free speech rights. They ruled 2 to 1 in favor of Project Veritas, a right-wing media group that employs undercover recordings.
Christian Hartsock is the Chief Investigative Reporter at Project Veritas. He said they wanted to record candid conversations among anti-fascist protesters and Proud Boys in 2020, but state law made that nearly impossible.
“It applied in the most public places: public parks, sidewalks, crowded bars,” Hartsock said. “Using the law to prohibit news gathering in these public areas cuts off valuable information which we consider potentially to be of public interest.“
In her dissenting opinion, Judge Morgan Christen said striking down the law could expose the public to having their voices edited and manipulated. A representative of Oregon’s Attorney General said the statute protected privacy rights, and the office will consider seeking further review.
