Bill would require journalists to register
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C.
South Carolina journalists would be required to register with the government before reporting the state’s news under a bill introduced Tuesday by a Republican state lawmaker who linked his proposal to press coverage of gun issues.
The bill would establish a “responsible journalism registry” with requirements that journalists must meet before working for a news outlet in the state. Those requirements weren’t laid out in the bill’s summary, which was available online Tuesday. The measure’s full text has not yet been posted.
Fees could be charged to be listed in the registry, which would be operated by the Secretary of State’s Office. The bill also would authorize “fines and criminal penalties” for violating the law.
The bill has been referred to a committee for debate.
Bill sponsor Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the proposal.
Pitts told The Post and Courier newspaper that the bill is not a reaction to any particular news story but was intended to stimulate discussion over how he sees gun issues being reported.
“Any registration of journalists would be unconstitutional – unless you lived in Cuba or North Korea,” Bill Rogers, executive director of the South Carolina Press Association, told The Associated Press.