KING 5 News and other Seattle media are appealing a judge's ruling that will force outlets to submit unaired footage of downtown riots to police.
The case involves destruction from May 30, when vandals destroyed parts of downtown Seattle, setting fire to cars, looting businesses and allegedly stealing weapons.
In July, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) took KING 5 to court, along with KOMO, KIRO, KCPQ, and The Seattle Times.
The police want to see footage that was not aired on television or published online, known as raw video.
KING 5 and other local media believe the request is a violation of the Washington Shield Law.
KING 5 believes the subpoena threatens editorial independence and could put journalists in danger, because people may be led to believe that KING 5 turns over information to police that goes unreported to the public; something KING 5 does not do.
But a King County judge ruled media should submit raw video to police in effort to help them identify people who stole guns and burned police cars.
On Tuesday, Seattle media outlets appealed the ruling with the state supreme court.
KING 5 News Director Pete Saiers issued the following statement about the SPD subpoena:
"As journalists, we do not work with, or for, the government entities we cover. When we're turned into a fact-gathering apparatus, it undermines our constitutionally protected role and harms the flow of information to the public."
