Yesterday Tom Burke came to KQED to speak to our news staff about libel, privacy, surveillance and the many other legal issues we face as journalists. It was the first time I'd met him in person and we got to spend some time together chatting before and after his presentation.
He is our outside counsel on the many public records act requests we make, he teaches at the J-School at Berkeley, and is a partner at one of the leading firms in SF. It turns out he started his career as an intern at the law firm that represented both Rolling Stone and CIR in the years I worked at those places, and hsi first project was to work on the Bergman-Ramirez defense team.
The legal aspects of investigative reporting have long been a passion of mine, so this was an opportunity to get to know a leading expert.
When I introduced myself, he said, "You are a legend."
-30-