News organizations, including The Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, filed court papers Monday supporting Northwestern University's fight of a subpoena seeking the grades of journalism students who believe they've found aninnocent man in prison.

Prosecutors are seeking grades, grading criteria and class records because they contend the students may have been motivated to find evidence of Anthony McKinney's innocence to get better grades. McKinney is serving a life sentence for the 1978 murder of a security guard and is seeking a new trial.

Northwestern University's attorneys filed a brief Monday asking Cook County Circuit Judge Diane Cannon to throw out the subpoena.

The media outlets also filed a brief, arguing that studentjournalists are entitled to the same protections as working reporters. The Student Press Law Center and the Society of Professional Journalists filed a similar brief.

Prosecutors have claimed the journalism students paid two witnesses in order to make their case that McKinney was wrongly convicted.

In Monday's filing, Northwestern's attorneys reiterated that the alleged bribe was instead cab fare.

The students were involved in the Medi ll Innocence Project in which they investigated cases leading to convictions.

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