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Plain Dealer — U.S. Senate must move shield law
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 08/18/2010 14:10:00
- In: Shield law editorials
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
August 15, 2010
Here's something the Senate could do, should it choose to function like a legislative body when it returns to work next month: Pass the Free Flow of Information Act to create a federal shield law for reporters.
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
August 15, 2010
Here's something the Senate could do, should it choose to function like a legislative body when it returns to work next month: Pass the Free Flow of Information Act to create a federal shield law for reporters.
A vibrant democracy requires informed citizens, and to have informed citizens, a vibrant democracy requires a free press. The founders recognized this when they wrote the First Amendment.
But sometimes, zealous prosecutors attempt to turn reporters into investigators by demanding that they reveal confidential sources. That, in turn, discourages people from sharing sensitive information with reporters -- and by extension with the public. The result is less informed citizens.
Currently, 36 states have some kind of law to shield a reporter's confidential sources. But the federal government does not. The House has passed legislation -- with exceptions for imminent national security threats -- and so has the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the bill hasn't been scheduled for floor debate and a vote.
It should be -- and soon.
Unless the Senate acts promptly, any chance of passing a federal shield in this Congress probably will be lost. That would be a setback not just for this country's free press, but for its democratic ideals as well.