Corbett supports federal shield law
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has joined 40 other state attorneys general in supporting a federal shield law for reporters. Known as the Free Flow of Information Act, the legislation has already been passed by the U.S. House, 398-12, and the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, 15-4. But the proposal hasn’t been brought to the Senate floor for a vote. It should be – and everyone should support the bill’s aim of creating a reporter’s privilege at the federal level. Doing so would bring federal law in line with laws in 49 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, which praises Corbett for his stand.
We commend Corbett as well. In today’s society, democracy and its hallmark freedom of the press cannot operate effectively if reporters run the risk of being hauled into court to reveal confidential sources.
The attorneys general have noted as much in a joint letter sent to Senate leaders. In it, they note, “By exposing confidences protected under state law to discovery in federal courts, the lack of a corresponding federal reporter’s privilege law frustrates the purposes of the state-recognized privileges and undercuts the benefit to the public that the states have sought to bestow through their shield laws.”
It is important to keep reporters unshackled from the fear of being hauled into court as they pursue their jobs. It is just as important for sources to know that their identities will be protected, especially if they risk losing their jobs by providing information that benefits us all.
“Recent events targeting specific journalists’ personal finances and liberty, with the intent of forcing them to serve as law enforcement resources, clearly show why this law is needed,” says Tim Williams, PNA president and chief executive officer.
We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.