Congressional Leaders Propose Reporter Shield Law

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS PROPOSE REPORTER SHIELD LAW
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
A bipartisan group of Congressional leaders introduced Wednesday a bill to establish a federal shield law to protect reporters from being forced to disclose their confidential sources. The Free Flow of Information Act was introduced by House Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA), John Conyers (D-MI), Mike Pence (R-IN), Howard Coble (R-NC), and John Yarmuth (D-KY) and by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The bill has broad support from a working alliance of more than 40 media companies and journalistic organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters and the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Although 32 states and the District of Columbia have reporter shield laws, the new legislation would create a federal standard for protecting journalists and their confidential sources. The legislation also protects information held by telephone companies, Internet services and other communications providers, that would otherwise reveal confidential sources.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10035...
* In House, New Effort to Protect Journalists From Forced Disclosure of Sources
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/02/AR200705...

* Boucher High On Shield Law Chances
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Prospects have brightened considerably for a federal shield law that would protect journalists, including bloggers, and their sources from government overreach. Flanked by the heads of the Newspaper Association of America, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Rep. Rick Boucher (R-VA) officially introduced the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 at a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday, saying the goal was passage within the year. He also surprised even a fellow legislator with the news that an identical companion bill was being introduced in the Senate by Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Pete Domenici (R-NM). The House bill also has the backing of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI).
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6438653.htm

* Toward a Federal Shield Law (NYTimes Editorial)
[Commentary] The Bush administration has opposed legislative efforts to enact a shield law by making the bogus argument that it would hurt national security. The only thing a federal shield law would threaten is the administration’s ability to make policy in secret. This measure of protection is long overdue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/opinion/03thu3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin