Blog
News Leader — Strengthen the press
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 02/18/2009 13:42:00
- In: Shield law editorials
The News Leader, Staunton, Va.
February 15, 2009
Congressman Bob Goodlatte has joined a fight that needs to be won, in this session of Congress.
Goodlatte is one of four sponsors of a bi-partisan bill called the Free Flow of Information Act. He introduced the bill to Congress, along with fellow Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher and two other congressmen, last week.
The News Leader, Staunton, Va.
February 15, 2009
Congressman Bob Goodlatte has joined a fight that needs to be won, in this session of Congress.
Goodlatte is one of four sponsors of a bi-partisan bill called the Free Flow of Information Act. He introduced the bill to Congress, along with fellow Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher and two other congressmen, last week.
The bill will stop journalists from making the agonizing choice between revealing anonymous sources or spending time in jail in order to protect the First Amendment.
Commonly referred to in last year's Congress as the Federal Shield Law, the bill easily passed the House before being bogged down in the Senate.
According to information from the Newspaper Assoc-iation of America, five journalists have been sentenced to jail time for refusing to name confidential sources in federal courts since 2001.
Of those five reporters, two were sentenced to 18 months in prison and one faced a $5,000 per day fine.
Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia have laws protecting journalists from having to go to jail because they are doing their job and keeping their word, but no such federal law exists.
“The freedom of the press is a right embodied in our Constitution and must be respected in order to protect and promote the free exchange of information in our society,” Goodlatte said in a recent press release. “This fundamental right is one that distinguishes America from many oppressive regimes in the world, and shows our commitment to seeking the truth. Enacting a federal media shield law will encourage whistle-blowers and others with important information to come forward, resulting in more robust information dissemination.”
The principle opposition to the shield law has been the fear that a reporter would not reveal information that would prevent an attack or a loss of American lives.