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Free Flow of Information Act co sponser letter

Cosponsor the Free Flow of Information Act

"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it."; --Thomas Jefferson, 1786.

Cosponsor the Free Flow of Information Act

"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it."; --Thomas Jefferson, 1786.

Dear Colleague:

As you are well aware, the dissemination of information by the media to the public on matters ranging from the operation of our government to events in our local communities is invaluable to the operation of our democracy. Without the free flow of information from sources to reporters, the public is ill equipped to make informed decisions.

Unfortunately, last year, almost a dozen reporters were served or threatened with jail sentences in at least three different federal jurisdictions for refusing to reveal confidential sources. Compelling reporters to testify, and in particular, compelling them to reveal the identity of their confidential sources, is a detriment to the public interest. Without the promise of confidentiality, many important conduits of information about our government will be shut down.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have various statutes that protect reporters from being compelled to testify or disclose sources and information in court. Next Wednesday, we plan to introduce the Free Flow of Information Act which sets national standards that must be met before a federal entity may issue a subpoena to a member of the news media in any government criminal or civil case.

The Free Flow of Information Act closely follows existing Department of Justice guidelines for issuing subpoenas to members of the news media. It simply makes the guidelines mandatory and provides protection against compelled disclosure of confidential sources. In doing so, this legislation strikes a balance between the public's need for information and the fair administration of justice.

For more information, or to become a cosponsor of the Free Flow of Information Act, please contact Chris Kiefer with Rep. Pence at 5-3021 or Laura Vaught with Rep. Boucher at 5-3861.

Sincerely,

Mike Pence
Member of Congress

Rick Boucher
Member of Congress

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