Media Wants Court To Force Release Of Pulse Videos

Attorneys for almost two dozen media groups are arguing in federal court in Florida that a lawsuit demanding the release of 911 calls involving the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando should be moved back to state court.

Attorneys for The Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times and other media groups are arguing Thursday that the case doesn’t belong in federal court.

The NY Post reports the case pits the City of Orlando against media companies seeking the release of recordings of dozens of 911 calls as well as communications between gunman Omar Mateen and the Orlando Police Department. Mateen was killed by police early June 12 after a lengthy standoff in the shooting that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.

The media groups argue that the recordings will help the public evaluate the police response to the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The city, which is the custodian of the recordings, claims the recordings are exempt under Florida public records law and that the FBI insists releasing them may disrupt the ongoing investigation.

In court papers, the Department of Justice argues the recordings are federal records and not subject to Florida’s public records law.

The media companies argue that the Department of Justice is “one of perhaps many parties standing on the sidelines” and aren’t a proper party to the lawsuit.

“This case is a dispute solely between the News Media and the City,” the media groups said in court papers.