Journalists' Federal Shield Law

source: nahj.org

NAHJ Urges Approval of Bill to Create Federal Shield Law

House to Vote on the Bill on Tuesday

 

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the leadership of the House of Representatives to pass a bill to create a federal shield law that would protect journalists from attempts to try to force them to reveal their confidential sources. A vote on this bill has unexpectedly been scheduled for next Tuesday, Oct. 16.

 

The District of Columbia and 49 states have recognized an absolute or qualified privilege for working journalists, but there is no federal shield law to protect journalists in the federal courts. After the jailing of former New York Times reporter Judith Miller and the conviction of Rhode Island television reporter Jim Taricani for refusing to reveal the source of an undercover tape made during a federal corruption probe that showed an official taking a bribe, the calls for a federal shield law have become louder.

 

Why?

 

More than 40 reporters have been subpoenaed or questioned about their confidential sources, their notes, and their work product over the last few years in criminal and civil cases in federal court. The need for this legislation was underscored again when, on August 13, a federal judge ordered five more reporters from major news organizations to reveal their confidential sources in the privacy lawsuit filed by Dr. Steven Hatfill against the federal government.  Dr. Hatfill is suing the government under the federal Privacy Act for being named a “person of interest” in the 2001 anthrax investigation.  

 

Reporters are now becoming the first stop, rather than the last resort, for civil litigants and prosecutors attempting to obtain the identity of confidential sources.

 

For the full text of the letter and accompanying information, background and talking point, visit: www.nahj.org