Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Gun Registry and now a South Carolina REPUBLICAN wants a "journalist registry?"

State Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, filed a bill in the S.C. House on Tuesday to establish a “responsible journalism registry” to be operated by the S.C. secretary of state.

That summary says the bill would “establish requirements for persons before working as a journalist for a media outlet and for media outlets before hiring a journalist.” The summary also includes registration fees, and sets fines and criminal penalties for violations.
The proposed registry “is ridiculous and totally unconstitutional,” said Bill Rogers, executive director of the S.C. Press Association. The State newspaper is a member of the Press Association.
The government can not require journalists to register, Rogers said, citing the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights, which ensures freedom of the press.
SOURCE: The State

Bill Status HERE

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article55474250.html#fmp#storylink=cpy