TIMES UNION—March 20, 2024—In the wake of a New York Times investigation demonstrating that ex-Congressman George Santos fabricated portions of his resume, veteran media critic Margaret Sullivan pointed to the decline of local journalism as the reason Santos got elected. With nearly one-third of newspapers operating in the country in 2005 shuttered today, fewer journalists are on the ground to scrutinize what candidates say about themselves.

…

Whom the mayor appoints — and doesn’t appoint — to judgeships in New York City’s courts is a matter of great public concern. Mayoral judicial appointees serve in criminal, family and civil cases that have a major impact on hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year. How can the public have confidence in the selection process if it largely occurs behind closed doors?

That is why Janon Fisher, a journalist who has spent much of his career covering New York City and its courts, has sought leave to appeal the decision to the New York Court of Appeals, with assistance from the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic. The ruling needs to be overturned before it gives the green light to other agencies to withhold important information.

Read the full article here.