CNN’s Martin Savidge joined a panel discussion at the annual Law & Media Conference.

CNN’s Martin Savidge joined a panel discussion at the annual Law & Media Conference.

Privacy and public records were two of the topics of the day during the Ohio State Bar Association’s (OSBA) annual Law & Media Conference. The conference brought together journalists, lawyers, and students to discuss current issues.

CNN anchor and reporter Martin Savidge joined a panel discussion about the legal, practical, and ethical issues journalists face when receiving highly sensitive data from unknown sources or obtained by unknown methods.

Among the nine workshops offered during the conference, lawyers and reporters debated the best way for journalists to cover over-the-top political mudslinging ads within legal and ethical limits, details were discussed about a state mediation program to solve public records disputes, and panelists provided insight into managing online comments without limiting free speech rights.

“I'm so grateful to the people who made the conference happen. We had a variety of timely, provocative sessions on everything from data privacy to public records law, and the audience engagement was outstanding. So many smart questions and comments from all manner of people navigating the changing news industry. I hope the conversation we started today will continue on social media,” OSBA Media Law Committee Chairman Jonathan Peters said.

The Law & Media Conference is sponsored jointly by the OSBA, the Ohio Newspaper Association, the Ohio Association of Broadcasters, and the Central Ohio Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.