After Attacking The AP, a Peace Offering

[Commentary] After coming under scorching bipartisan criticism for secretly going through the phone records of reporters at The Associated Press in a leak investigation, the Obama administration now says it supports a law that might have prevented this outrageous conduct. The idea of a national shield law is a good one — many states now have laws protecting journalists from those trying to get notes or sources or outtakes. But any such law must provide the maximum protections for a free press. For years, there have been administrative guidelines about how to get information from the media. The Justice Department apparently decided not to use the guidelines in the A.P. case. This scandal shows that there is a desperate need for more protection of press freedoms.