2021 Alaska Statutes
Title 9. Code of Civil Procedure
Chapter 25. Evidence, Presumptions, and Privileges
Article 2. Privilege of Public Officials and Reporters.
Sec. 09.25.390. Definitions for AS 09.25.300 - 09.25.390.
In AS 09.25.300 - 09.25.390, unless the context otherwise requires,
(1) “news organization” means
(A) an individual, partnership, corporation, or other association regularly engaged in the business of
(i) publishing a newspaper or other periodical that reports news events, is issued at regular intervals, and has a general circulation;
(ii) providing newsreels or other motion picture news for public showing; or
(iii) broadcasting news to the public by wire, radio, television, or facsimile;
(B) a press association or other association of individuals, partnerships, corporations, or other associations described in (A)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this paragraph engaged in gathering news and disseminating it to its members for publication;
(2) “privilege” means the conditional privilege granted to public officials and reporters to refuse to testify as to a source of information;
(3) “public official” means a person elected to a public office created by the Constitution or laws of this state, whether executive, legislative, or judicial, and who was holding that office at the time of the communication for which privilege is claimed;
(4) “reporter” means a person regularly engaged in the business of collecting or writing news for publication, or presentation to the public, through a news organization; it includes persons who were reporters at the time of the communication, though not at the time of the claim of privilege.
