A bill to “stop the press from serving as a slander machine” passed Thursday in the Montana House Judiciary Committee with language and a title that are nearly boilerplate to legislation that’s cropped up in other states.

Sponsored by Rep. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork, the “Stop Guilt By Accusation Act” aims to mandate media outlets cover specific proceedings a particular way, such as court rulings when a person accused of a crime is found not guilty. Its stated purpose in part is to prevent news organizations from “selective reporting” that causes people to be “shunned and avoided by the general public due to a cloud of suspicion or wrongdoing … .”

By Keila Szpaller/Daily Montanan