federal shield law

Federal Shield Law Introduced in House Once More

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:30:59 -0400

Full article: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
In the latest step in a seven-year effort to pass a federal shield law, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) has re-introduced a bill that would provide protections for journalists in federal courts.

New York Times Reporter Subpoenad

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:58:46 -0400

Full article: NPR
Carrie Johnson
The Justice Department has subpoenaed <em>New York Times</em> reporter Jim Risen to provide critical eyewitness testimony it says it can't get any other way in the leak case involving former CIA operative Jeffrey Sterling. Risen says he'll ask a judge to quash the subpoena, setting up a First Amendment fight and a game of chicken with high stakes.

Falling on Their Shield

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:23:49 -0500

Full article: American Journalism Review
Jeffrey Benzing
After a disappointing defeat in the last Congress, proponents of a federal shield law for journalists aren't expecting victory anytime soon.

A Clear Danger to Free Speech

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:57:49 -0500

Full article: New York Times
Geoffrey R. Stone
If we grant the government too much power to punish those who disseminate information, then we risk too great a sacrifice of public deliberation; if we grant the government too little power to control confidentiality at the source, then we risk too great a sacrifice of secrecy. The answer is thus to reconcile the irreconcilable values of secrecy and accountability by guaranteeing both a strong authority of the government to prohibit leaks and an expansive right of others to disseminate information to the public.

Unplug WikiLeaks? Enact a Federal Shield Law Instead

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:14:01 -0500

Full article: Huffington Post
Peter Scheer
The Obama administration has made no secret of its desire to unplug WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website infamous for data dumps of classified records. Of the few options available to the government, the best is one that probably hasn't been considered in this context: Enacting a federal shield law.

Shield Law Showdown

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:00:32 -0400

Full article: American Journalism Review
David Saleh Rauf
It's do or die. That's how media groups describe the state of the long-stalled legislation to create a federal shield law for journalists. The bill passed the House and has emerged from the Senate Judiciary Committee. But it is on the verge of suffering a familiar fate: Death in the Senate.

What's a Journalist?

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:22:13 -0400

Full article: Chicago Reader
Michael Miner
Among journalists, almost no one disputes the need for a federal shield law. Among politicians, the cause is not as noble. Journalists have been lobbying Congress for a shield law for six years, but Congress hasn't passed one yet.

Mainstream Press Throws Wikileaks Under a Bus in Journalist Shield Debate

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:28:34 -0400

Full article: Boing Boing
Cory Doctrow
A new proposed federal journalist shield law is under debate in the U.S., which sounds like a great idea, except that the traditional press have agreed to amendments that would exempt Wikileaks from any protection for its confidential sources, on the grounds that Wikileaks isn't journalism.

Shameful News Industry Willing to Sacrifice Wikileaks to Get Shield Law

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:24:25 -0400

Full article: Techdirt
Mike Masnick
A few weeks ago, politicians who had been pushing for a much needed federal shield law for journalism, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), were taking the politically expedient route of adding a specific amendment designed to keep Wikileaks out of the bill's protections. Apparently, a bunch of newspaper folks have apparently stepped forward to support this move.

U.S. Should Shield All Its Journalists

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:22:16 -0400

Full article: Modesto Bee
The First Amendment doesn't provide protection from prosecutors or judges -- who might threaten journalists with prosecution or incarceration -- when it comes to divulging sources or materials. A bill in Congress would create the same safeguards on a national level.