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Daily Record — Federal shield law is needed
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 07/30/2008 17:19:41
- In: Shield law editorials
Daily Record, Parsippany, N.J.
July 25, 2008
The U.S. Senate has many issues before it: the economy, the war, health care and immigration, just to name a few. Amid that backdrop, allowing journalists to protect their sources may seem trivial by comparison.
Nonethele
Daily Record, Parsippany, N.J.
July 25, 2008
The U.S. Senate has many issues before it: the economy, the war, health care and immigration, just to name a few. Amid that backdrop, allowing journalists to protect their sources may seem trivial by comparison.
Nonetheless, the Free Flow of Information Act overwhelmingly passed the House last fall and may be considered by the Senate this week. It should pass.
What this bill would do is create a federal “shield law” for journalists, something that exists in New Jersey and most other states. That would allow journalists to report the news without fear of being hauled into federal court and made to reveal sources under penalty of incarceration.
Over the last four years, more than 40 reporters in the United States have been questioned or subpoenaed about their confidential sources. Two reporters were sentenced to jail or home confinement, and one reporter was held in contempt and faced fines up to $5,000 a day for refusing to reveal her confidential sources. Putting journalists in jail is not the hallmark of a free society. The House already has acted to solve the problem, and the Senate should follow suit.