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San Francisco Chronicle — FOLLOWING UP
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 10/09/2007 14:29:43
- In: Shield law editorials
Pelosi pushes shield law
San Francisco Chronicle
October 8, 2007
What we said: Forty-nine states now offer varying levels of protection for journalists using anonymous sources. But those state shield laws are undermined by the absence of a federal law - becaus
Pelosi pushes shield law
San Francisco Chronicle
October 8, 2007
What we said: Forty-nine states now offer varying levels of protection for journalists using anonymous sources. But those state shield laws are undermined by the absence of a federal law - because journalists and their sources can never be certain whether a case might end up in state or federal court. It's now up to the House leadership to schedule HR2102 for a floor vote. Preservation of the First Amendment should be a priority." - Editorial, Aug. 2, 2007
What happened: Progress is being made. A version of the shield law cleared the House Judiciary Committee last summer, then the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.
What's next: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to a group of newspaper editors in Washington Thursday, vowed to bring shield-law legislation to a full House vote by the end of the year.
{rdrsp}What you can do: Urge your congressional representative to support a federal shield law. You can find an online form at www.house.gov/writerep.