McCain Tells AP Meeting That He Backs Shield Law

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in comments at the Associated Press Annual Meeting said he would support the Federal Shield Law in the U.S. Senate but couched it in terms that indicated that he wants to make sure the press, with these protections, acts responsibly. “I must confess there have been times when I worried that the press' intent to get a scoop can conflict with other priorities," he said. "I think that the New York Times' decision to expose surveillance practices came too close to crossing that line. I can understand why the government would want to discourage that from happening.... The Shield Law is frankly a license to do harm, perhaps serious harm, but it is also a license to do good. I know that the press that discloses security secrets that should have remained so also revealed the disgrace of Abu Ghraib. So I have decided to support [the bill]. If the vote were held today, I would vote yes.”
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