California has passed its “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” which effectively creates extra civil liability for journalists exposing fraudsters through undercover journalism. The bill claims it would “prohibit a person from posting on the internet the personal information or image of a designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer, or other individuals residing at the same home address.”
Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego warned “If you show up and take video of those providers under this bill, all they would have to do is hand a business card over to the investigative journalist, and if they posted that evidence that they caught on video on the internet, they would be violating this law.
“The lawyers in this room know that, absolutely under this language, it would be prohibited from being posted to the internet. This is outrageous. … When you vote for this, that is what you are voting to do.”
California Passes Controversial ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’– www.dailysignal.com
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EXCERPT:
California Assembly Bill 2624, dubbed by critics the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” passed the California Assembly on Tuesday, raising concerns among opponents that undercover journalism and fraud investigations could be restricted—including investigations conducted by independent journalist Nick Shirley.
Shirley, who uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars of daycare fraud in Minnesota and hospice fraud in California, took to X to share his thoughts on the vote.