Not in MY memory...Should Journalists Fear Computer Seizures?

In an article I found on the Editor and Publisher Web site, a Pennsylvania court ruled in favor of The Intelligencer Journal after questions were brought up regarding the newspaper's access into county coroner reports. Here's what happened, according to the article;

Investigators for (Pennsylvania) Attorney General Tom Corbett seized four newsroom computers earlier this year. When the attorney general this summer obtained a subpoena to seize two more computers, the newspaper refused to abide by the order and was found in contempt, providing grounds for an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Here's how the case turned out:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices reached a ruling declaring "unduly intrusive" the government's attempt to seize the computers belonging to ...the Intelligencer Journal...

The opinion by Justice Thomas Saylor also noted the "potential chilling effect" taking reporters' computers could have on sources providing confidential information.

This article made me think of two questions that I am still pondering; First of all, were the reporters guilty of the unlawful access? If so, what does this have to say of the integrity of the paper to begin with. As a naive and young journalist, I'm going to do my best to hold the opinion that there was not unlawful conduct, and, if so (and even if not), there's certainly another question here....

Is the government beginning to consider the seizure of computers more often in cases of journalistic dispute? If so, this is certainly frightening given the vast amount of information that could be at mercy in the information age, compared to "the old days" when the fear was more of the seizure of singular documents, not entire databases.

One thing is for sure, and has remained a constant; as long as journalism continues to keep tabs on the legitimacy of government dealings, so will the government keep its watchful eye on the press.