Medill justice project gets some media muscle

Media heavyweights are supporting an effort to toss out a subpoena for notes and grades of Northwestern University journalism students, their professor and an investigator in the case of a Harvey man the students believe was wrongfully convicted of killing a security guard.

The Cook County state's attorney's office also is seeking unpublished videos, grading criteria and e-mails from the Medill Innocence Project investigation in the case involving Anthony McKinney, convicted of the 1978 shotgun slaying of the guard in south suburban Harvey. Northwestern attorneys have fought the subpoena, saying the students, professor David Protess and private investigator Sergio Serritella were working as journalists when they gathered affidavits, documents and videotaped interviews. On Monday, an attorney representing the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, CBS News, the Washington Post and the Hearst Corp. -- in addition to a dozen other news-gathering organizations -- filed a brief in Cook County Circuit Court opposing the forced surrender of the material.