There is god news coming to you from Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press by COURTNEY DOUGLAS and KATIE BETH NICHOLS

A coalition of 17 media organizations, joined by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, is supporting arguments that a Maryland law regulating online political advertising violates the First Amendment.

Maryland’s Online Electioneering Transparency and Accountability Act was signed into law in 2019, prompted by concerns of online Russian interference related to the 2016 presidential election. The law requires anyone who publishes “political advertisements” online to keep intricate records of them and make detailed information about them publicly available within two days of their publication. Platforms that violate this law by hosting an ad without properly registering details about it would be subject to criminal penalties and injunctions without any notice, and would not be given an opportunity to object to them.

In a brief filed with the Fourth Circuit in support of a group of media organizations who have challenged the law, the media coalition argues that the state’s argument in support of the law is problematic for news organizations because it would diminish First Amendment protections for online speech.

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