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Rochester Democrat and Chronicle — Media shield bill under attack
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 05/08/2008 13:21:31
- In: Shield law editorials
Senate should resist Bush efforts to kill the media shield bill
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
April 7, 2008
Sen. Arlen Specter, author of historic but still languishing federal shield legislation, should be smart enough to realize that
Senate should resist Bush efforts to kill the media shield bill
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
April 7, 2008
Sen. Arlen Specter, author of historic but still languishing federal shield legislation, should be smart enough to realize that the Bush administration is trying to kill the bill, not improve it.
Specter, responding last week to a flurry of complaints from top Bush administration officials that the shield law could protect the agents of terrorism, suggested he would consider altering the bill to meet their objections.
No. The legislation, now before the Senate, already accommodates legitimate concerns about national security. Reporters may forfeit shield-law protection of sources if national security is at demonstrable risk. Under this legislation, a court may require the sort of disclosure that the Bush administration says is needed. Attorney General Michael Mukasey suggested the bill too broadly defines journalist to include bloggers and new-media writers. The complaint is that these renegade writers could use the shield law to mask their pro-terror intentions. In fact, if the government shows a legitimate national security concern, all journalists, whether new media or old, could be required to reveal sources.
In reality, the administration wants the press vulnerable to government interference and control. Its goal is to bury the shield law. Specter and other Senate sponsors should see the motive here, work to get a veto-proof majority and pass this legislation.