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Republican — Shield law for press protects democracy — Aug. 10, 2007
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 08/10/2007 13:45:24
- In: Shield law editorials
The Republican, Springfield, Mass.
Aug. 07, 2007
It’s no secret that the White House is opposed to a federal shield law that would give reporters the right to conceal confidential sources, except in certain cases.
We are at a time in history when information vital t
The Republican, Springfield, Mass.
Aug. 07, 2007
It’s no secret that the White House is opposed to a federal shield law that would give reporters the right to conceal confidential sources, except in certain cases.
We are at a time in history when information vital to the public is being stifled at many levels, including the very highest levels of government.
The Information Security Oversight Office concluded in its annual review that 20.5 million documents were classified as government secrets last year. That is not a misprint. The number is based on data given to the ISOO by executive branch agencies on how much material they classify and declassify. Vice President Dick Cheney's office has not provided any information to the ISSO since 2002, so the number if Cheney has been true to form is a great deal higher than 20.5 million.
As a newspaper, it should not be a news flash that we applaud a vote by the House Judiciary Committee last week approving a federal shield law. While no reporter should promise confidentiality to a source unless there is no other way to get the information, there are times when a source will not speak without the promise of confidentiality.
For the record, this newspaper is working with others in support of legislation sponsored by the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association to establish a comprehensive state shield law to protect reporters. We feel just as strongly about the need for a federal shield law.
The nation's history is full of stories made known to the public through the use of confidential sources the Watergate scandal, the Pentagon papers, the Iran-Contra scandal and the poor treatment of soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center, to name a few.
The fate of the House bill and a similar bill in the Senate is uncertain. Congress has never enacted a federal shield law, even though the Founding Fathers recognized a free and functioning press as essential to a healthy democracy.
The Founding Fathers did not want to live in a country where reporters who defy the government could be thrown in jail.
Congress should set the record straight.