Rhode Island’s Governor Gina Raimondo signed a revenge pornography bill into law despite concerns and a request for a veto from free press and speech advocates.
Although the governor originally vetoed a broadly worded bill in 2016, she and Attorney General Peter Kilmartin compromised on using language that would not require proof of the perpetrator’s intent, rather that the perpetrator had “knowledge or with reckless disregard” that the images shared would cause harm.
The ACLU of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Press Coalition, New England First Amendment Coalition and The Media Coalition wrote in a jointly signed letter that the language outlined in the bill “will force news media to think twice about publicizing newsworthy images.”
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