ASNE endorses shield law
Posted 5/18/2006 3:14:00 PM
The board of directorsof the American Society of Newspaper Editors today endorsed the Free Flow ofInformation Act of 2006, which would establish a national shield law to protectreporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources of information. Thirty-onestates already have shield laws.
The bill was introducedby Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.),Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).It would provide a qualified privilege to protect reporters from being compelledto testify about the identity of a source or produce documents. Under the bill,a reporter could be compelled to testify only if clear criteria are met. Amongcritical criteria in criminal cases are that all other sources for the informationbe exhausted and the information be central to the case.
The criteria in the billclosely mirror protections in state shield laws.
"Stories of governmentcorruption will go untold, critical reporting on intelligence matters will wither,countless threats to the public health and safety will go unreported unlessreporters can protect their sources," said Dave Zeeck, ASNE president,and executive editor of The News-Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
"American democracycan't function unless there is a free flow of information that arms citizenswith the facts. It's important that reporters be given the greatest freedompossible to dig up those facts, without fear of a prosecutor's subpoena,"said David Westphal, co-chair of the ASNE Freedom of Information Committee andWashington Bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers.
ASNE's board, in makingits endorsement of the legislation, reserved its prerogative to withdraw supportif the bill is amended in ways that would be detrimental to the practice ofjournalism.
The American Society ofNewspaper Editors, with about 750 members, is the principal organization ofAmerican newspaper editors. It is active in a number of areas, including opengovernment, freedom of the press, journalism credibility and ethics, newsroommanagement, diversity and readership.
For more information contactKevin Wilcox, kwilcox@asne.org, 703-453-1132.