A bill making its way through the Georgia legislature in the final days of the session aims to protect the innocent and victims of tragedies, but free speech advocates say it could disadvantage some news outlets.
The goal of Senate Bill 482 is to prevent businesses lawmakers characterize as exploitative — like websites that publish booking photos or shock sites that show gruesome crime scenes or police shooting videos — from making money off the tragedy of others.
“We are going to hopefully start the process of recognizing in our state that body camera footage and mug shots are not entertainment,” said the bill’s sponsor, McDonough Republican Sen. Brian Strickland. “They’re news. They’re something that we should preserve for open records, but not preserve for entertainment and for making money in our state.”
The bill unanimously passed the House Public Safety Committee on Thursday and will need to pass both chambers by April 2 to become law.
News outlets often request booking photos, commonly known as mugshots, by emailing a jail, sheriff’s office or other law enforcement agency.