ORS 401.981: Committee to establish guidelines.

(1) The Oregon Department of Emergency Management shall convene a committee composed of equal numbers of news media and public safety agency stakeholders to develop the following voluntary guidelines for implementing ORS 401.980. (a) Recommendations for essential elements of basic fire and natural disaster site safety training for news media representatives that satisfies the training described in ORS 401.980 (3); (b) Examples of when circumstances warrant denial of access on grounds of compromising the safety of emergency response personnel, impeding the response of emergency equipment or personnel, protecting the privacy of victims of a wildfire or natural disaster or impeding the investigation of an incident that constitutes the scene of a wildfire or natural disaster; (c) Examples of when public bodies, as defined in ORS 174.109, may require news media representatives to provide and use their own personal protective equipment and may prescribe circumstances when particular types of personal protective equipment may be required; and (d) Examples of when public bodies should conduct safety briefings for news media representatives and the recommended content of safety briefings. (2) The department shall ensure that adopted guidelines are broadly disseminated to state and local public bodies and officials. (3) The committee described in subsection (1) of this section shall designate one representative of public safety agencies and one representative of news media to report on the work of the committee to the House Interim Committee on Rules before September 1, 2022. (4) Nothing in this section may be construed to require a public body to issue news media credentials or to maintain a list of credentialed news media representatives. [2022 c.59 §2] PENALTIES