Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Shield Law, Protects Bloggers

Benjamin Franklin was more than just one of the country's Founding Fathers. He was also a blogger. At least that's how Franklin was described during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about whether a reporters' shield law should exclude bloggers, citizen journalists and other nonprofessionals. The committee voted to pass the proposed law, the Free Flow of Information Act, after rejecting an amendment proposed by Sens Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) that would have defined journalists as people working for news organizations. Some commentators said the amendment's definition was so restrictive that it could have excluded even professionals who wrote for online-only publications. The proposed shield law itself is relatively narrow, providing only that journalists can sometimes protect the identity of their sources. Sen Feinstein said at the hearing that she favored a narrow definition of journalist because including amateurs and others would mark a "weakening of the profession of journalism." But other lawmakers successfully countered that bloggers, freelancers and amateur writers should have the same opportunity to protect their sources as professionals on staff. The bill still must be voted in the full Senate then reconciled with a different version passed in the House.