I want to extend my appreciation to the Times-Call editorial staff for taking a stance against the "ag-gag" laws that have been passed or are under consideration in about a dozen states. These laws make it a crime to engage in undercover surveillance on farms and slaughter facilities, and to publish or otherwise distribute information gathered in this way.
The editorial rightly pointed out that few other laws attempt to hide and protect wrongdoing to this extent, and few other industries have the resources to demand that they operate under complete secrecy. Consumers should oppose the laws because they deprive us of our right to know how our food was produced and pose a threat to public health. Animals raised for food have minimal legal protection as it is. But because the laws have implications that extend far beyond the farm, there are other reasons to oppose them.
They would make investigative journalism as we know it illegal. They would make criminals of whistleblowers who courageously bring corruption to light. The threat to freedom posed by these laws is obvious in the range of groups that oppose them. The list includes not just animal welfare advocacy organizations, but also the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the National Press Photographers Association, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and the National District Attorneys Association, just to name a few.
Undercover investigation is the eyes and ears of the public. "Ag-gag" laws will kill the messengers.