Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland confronted University of Maryland student journalist Cat Murphy after an Oct. 13 debate, insisting she could not record him without permission and threatening to refer her to prosecutors. The exchange took place in a crowded hallway during a news conference following the debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz.
Murphy, a reporter for the university’s Capital News Service, was recording alongside other journalists. Harris told her to stop, citing Maryland’s two-party consent law. When Murphy pointed out that other reporters were also recording, Harris continued to say she was not permitted to do so and asked whether she knew the law.
The dispute began after Murphy defended a Baltimore Banner reporter who had asked Harris why he took part in the debate. Harris had described that reporter’s question as “silly,” according to the supplied account.
As the exchange continued, Murphy asked Harris why the restriction applied specifically to her. She tried to arrange for another journalist to hold her recording device, while a reporter present argued that the gathering was taking place in a public forum. Harris rejected that distinction, saying it made no difference.
Harris called for an officer to be brought in, saying Murphy was violating the state’s recording law. He also told someone nearby to take her camera. Murphy then attempted to ask him about the war in Iran. Harris ended the news conference and left, blaming Murphy for disrupting the opportunity for reporters to get answers.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says Maryland’s consent requirement applies to recording a “private conversation.” The source account describes the news conference as taking place in a public space, with other news outlets recording. Harris’s assertion that the law barred Murphy from recording was therefore at odds with the committee’s explanation of the law’s scope.
The University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism defended Murphy. Dean Rafael Lorente said she was credentialed to report for the school’s Capital News Service and recorded openly in a public space alongside other outlets. He said that recording was her legal right and praised her handling of the encounter.
Murphy told CNN that she had sought clarification on Harris’s debate remark that the war in Iran could have gone “smoother.” The source says Harris’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The journalism school also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Murphy.
Video of the confrontation circulated widely online, prompting criticism and mockery of Harris’s interpretation of the law. The supplied account also notes that Harris represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District and is the state’s only Republican in its congressional delegation.
