Posted on 08/02/2007 1:13:10 PM PDT by SmithL
Washington -- Legislation that would protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources advanced in the House of Representatives Wednesday, despite continued opposition from Justice Department officials who warn it would hamper some criminal investigations.
The bill, which the House Judiciary Committee approved by a voice vote, would shield reporters from court orders compelling them to disclose their sources, except in limited cases, such as when there is "significant" harm to national security.
Supporters of the measure, including more than 40 media organizations, cheered the Judiciary panel's vote, which moves the measure one step closer to House passage. Similar legislation is pending in the Senate.
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., a leading co-sponsor of the bill, called the action a "victory for a free and independent press" and "an important first step toward repairing a tear in the First Amendment freedom of the press." Pence emphasized that the bill is "not about protecting reporters. It's about protecting the public's right to know."
Similar versions of the legislation have been floating around Capitol Hill for years, though the drive for a federal shield law got a big boost after former New York Times reporter Judith Miller spent 85 days in jail before naming the White House aide who told her the identity of a CIA operative.
Earlier this year, two Chronicle reporters avoided jail time only when an attorney confessed that he had been the source of leaked grand jury transcripts cited in a series of news stories about steroid use by slugger Barry Bonds and other athletes.
Bill supporters, including Pence, sponsor Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., and Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., have repeatedly rewritten the bill to narrow the scope of the media shield in an effort to win over critics at the Justice Department who are worried...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Sweet! If I am ever in trouble I can claim to be a member of the press and use it as a “Get Out of Jail Free” card!
“It’s about protecting the public’s right to know.”
It’s about protecting the journalists’ right to shoot us a bunch of crap instead of the real news.
He should be defeated in the next primary cycle.
L
So Congress will shield journalists but not citizens reporting possible terrorism.
Hour by hour the lunacy in this country keeps getting worse. It’s like the Twilight Zone of Liberal insanity.
Actually he isn't. In fact, he is one of the few true conservatives in the House. That said, I believe he is wrong on this issue. I believe "journalists" should be treated the same, no better or no worse, than their fellow citizens. I am always wary when one group is granted greater governmental protection or guarantees than another.
Do journalists take some kind of privacy oath like doctors and lawyers? Otherwise screw um.
His actions in this regard are anything but 'conservative'. If he honestly believes the crap he's spouting then he's a dangerous fool.
L
The Valerie Plame matter was proof that, given such a shield, reporters ill simply become conduits or cutouts for leaked information. In a place like Washington - we do not need to increase the incentives for leaking.
So this means that, during a Democratic regime, a (conservative) reporter can, without fear of prosecution or contempt citations,
1. publish all manner of left-wing secrets, received from a disgruntled (conservative) government bureaucrat; and
2. refuse to disclose who that illegal leaker was.
Are they really sure they want to go there? Shouldn’t the rules punish illegal leaks regardless of politics?
So Pence and the Dim House want to make it legal for SOME citizens to act as an accessory to a felony, huh? Leaking certain information is a felony, but if you leak it to a ‘journalist’, you can stay in the clear because the ‘journalist won’t rat you out.
That’s criminal.
Persecution = Prosecution
The press can never be allowed to become an extralegal entity.
Please get out your Veto pen again, sir.
This is another measure that journalists can hide behind to help our enemies and destroy the Republican party.
Make the NY Slimes and Washington Compost cry like spoiled children and VETO this nonsense. They already have the first amendment and they don’t do a good job upholding that.
If you expect every conservative to follow a specific litmus test for every problem this country faces before you support them, it will be a cold day in hell before the more conservative party in this country regains control.
Did we not learn a lesson from the results of the last election? Did we not learn that perfection can be the enemy of the good?
Define “journalist.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.