The union responsible for broadcast journalists issued a statement on Thursday condemning CBS News’ alleged decision to seize the notes and research of investigative reporter Catherine Herridge after her recent layoff.
In a strongly worded statement, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) expressed deep concern over the reported actions of CBS News, stating that the alleged move to seize Ms. Herridge’s reporter notes, which include confidential source information, is not only “deeply concerning” but also sets a “dangerous precedent” that threatens the core principles of the First Amendment.
“It is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter’s files, inclusive of confidential source identification and information,” SAG-AFTRA said in its statement following news reports.
The union said that, from the perspective of the First Amendment, a news media outlet calling a reporter’s research and confidential source reporting “proprietary information” is both “shocking and absurd.”
The union urged CBS to promptly return Ms. Herridge’s materials, asserting that the retention of a media professional’s reporting materials by a former employer constitutes a “serious break with traditional practices.”
“We are encouraged by recent outreach by CBS News to SAG-AFTRA on this matter, and we are hopeful that it will be resolved shortly,” SAG-AFTRA added in its statement.
“Catherine’s personal belongings were delivered to her home one week ago, and we are prepared to pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf—with her representative present as she requested,” the spokesperson said.
“We are awaiting a response from Catherine and/or her representative to do so. We have respected her request to not go through the files, and out of our concern for confidential sources, the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure.”
Ms. Herridge, who joined CBS in 2019 as a balanced voice covering both sides of the political spectrum, is a respected investigative reporter. Her departure from CBS has raised questions,
CBS News recently laid off employees as part of larger cuts by parent company Paramount Global, according to reports.
At the time of her termination, Ms. Herridge, formerly the chief intelligence correspondent for Fox News, was investigating stories related to President Biden’s mental state, corruption allegations, and the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
On Feb. 13, just before she was let go, Ms. Herridge reported that three powerful GOP House panels were concerned that President Biden “may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings.”
Her dismissal also comes amid a legal dispute stemming from her 2017 report on an FBI investigation into a Chinese scientist.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Ms. Herridge must sit for a deposition and answer questions under oath about the identity and intent of the sources.
Lawyers representing Ms. Herridge and Fox, who are paying the legal expenses, argued that the reporter is protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Ms. Herridge may face charges of contempt of court for refusing to disclose her source in the report, which detailed an investigation into the scientist’s alleged provision of false information on immigration forms that related to her work on a Chinese astronaut program.
Ms. Herridge may be subjected to a $5,000 daily penalty for non-compliance with the court’s order to reveal her source.
