Scholastic Journalists' Rights
Pending federal shield law legislation:• S. 2831• S. 1419• S. 340• H.R. 3323• H.R. 581
Senate Judiciary Committee hearings:I."Reporters' Shield Legislation: Issues and Implications" (July 20, 2005)II. "Reporters' Privilege Legislation: An Additional Investigation of Issues and Implications" (Oct. 19, 2005)III. "Reporters' Privilege Legislation: Preserving Effective Law Enforcement" (Sept. 20, 2006)
Testimony:I.• William Safire• Rep. Mike Pence• Matthew Cooper• Norman Pearlstine• Floyd Abrams• Lee Levine• Geoffrey StoneII.• Chuck Rosenberg• Judith Miller• David Westin• Joseph E. diGenova• Ann Gordon• Dale Davenport• Steven D. ClymerIII.• Victor E. Schwartz• Theodore B. Olson• Steven D. Clymer• Paul J. McNulty
Member statements:I.• Sen. Patrick Leahy• Sen. Richard Lugar• Sen. Russ FeingoldII.• Sen. John Cornyn• Sen. Patrick LeahyIII.• Sen. Patrick Leahy
Legislation to protect journalists from having to disclose confidential sources likely won't get a vote in the state Senate this year, in part because of what lawmakers called heavy-handed tactics by the newspaper industry's lobbyist and sharply critical editorials. "They beat the hell out of us in editorial pages across the state," Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-Seattle, said Thursday evening. "Before we had a chance to look at the substance of the bill, they were declaring us obstructionists." There are other reasons, too, that the so-called reporter's shield law appeared dead Thursday, a week before the legislative session is set to end. Corporate interests, primarily an insurance company, oppose the bill, as well as defense attorneys and some prosecutors. [...] House Bill 2452 would allow reporters to protect the name of a confidential source in court, using the same sort of absolute privilege from testimony given to spouses, attorneys and clergy.
