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El Paso Times — Media shield law: Measure lost in political games
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 08/05/2008 14:03:31
- In: Shield law editorials
El Paso (Texas) Times
August 3, 2008
Political gamesmanship in the U.S. Senate has once again shelved a media shield law, at least for the present. It may -- may -- come up for discussion in September, though there's no guarantee.
A media shield law would protect
El Paso (Texas) Times
August 3, 2008
Political gamesmanship in the U.S. Senate has once again shelved a media shield law, at least for the present. It may -- may -- come up for discussion in September, though there's no guarantee.
A media shield law would protect the public's right to know by allowing journalists to keep confidential the names of sources except under certain circumstances.
S.2035, “The Free Flow of Information Act,” didn't get the 60 votes needed in the Senate mainly because Republican senators blocked the measure in a partisan fight with Democrats over energy and gas prices. According to the Newspaper Association of America, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, both Republicans, spoke out against moving on with the measure. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, also voted against the measure.
The reason given for blocking the media shield measure was that it's more important to pass an energy bill that would promote more domestic oil and gas production. That's hard to argue in this time of high gasoline and other energy prices.
But it's also instructive to note that the Republican administration and a gaggle of Republicans in Congress have opposed the shield law on the tenuous grounds that it could compromise national security because prosecutors wouldn't be able to track down leaks as well.
Blocking a media shield gives the administration and elected officials a chance that many lawmakers welcome -- the chance to work in the shadows, out of the sunshine, without the transparency that the public deserves.
Most states have shield laws of varying toughness, but there is no federal shield law. While the administration and many lawmakers would like to keep it that way, it is in the public's interest to have the shield law.
As Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said, the measure “protects both the freedom of the press and the security of our citizens. In a free and democratic country, we should be able to do both.”
Back in October, the House overwhelmingly passed a similar measure. The Senate needs to quit stalling and pass the media shield law.