SEATTLE — Five Seattle news outlets will have to comply with a subpoena and give the Seattle Police Department unpublished video and photos from a May 30 racial justice protest, a judge ruled Thursday.
King County Superior Court Judge Nelson Lee sided with the police department, ruling that its subpoena was enforceable, the Seattle Times reported. Lee found that the photos and video were critical for an investigation into the alleged arson of police vehicles and theft of police guns.
Lee said the news organizations were not protected by a Washington shield law that in many circumstances stops authorities from obtaining reporters’ unpublished materials.