(July 7, 2005) - The National Press Photographers Association joins with the Newspaper Association of America in support of their lobbying efforts calling for a new national shield law for journalists. The NPPA is actively involved in seeking a federal law to protect journalists’ interests, and as long ago as March 2005 called for the passage of a shield law to protect the rights of all journalists. Today NPPA joins with NAA and as many as 80 other orgranizations in issuing this press release:
Jail Time for Miller Stresses the Need for Federal Shield Law
WASHINGTON - With New York Times reporter Judith Miller sentenced Wednesday to four months in jail for not revealing confidential sources on a story that she never wrote, lawmakers and media groups are calling for Congress to act on legislation that would protect journalists against the release of confidential source information.
The proposed "Free Flow of Information Act" follows closely the U.S. Department of Justice guidelines that allow testimony to be compelled from a journalist only after non-media sources have been exhausted and such testimony is essential to the investigation of a criminal case or to the resolution of a civil case. The legislation also expands upon the guidelines by protecting the identities of confidential sources. Sponsors of the legislation, H.R.581 and S.340, are Representatives Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT).
"Confidential sources have played a vital role in the reporting process, contributing important information on issues ranging from major safety violations at nuclear plants to corporate fraud. Without the promise of confidentiality, sources, including whistleblowers, will not come forward," said John F. Sturm, President and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America.
"Granting confidentiality to sources by reporters is often the only way the public finds out about waste, fraud and abuse in government and the private sector," said Lucy A. Dalglish, Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "It's simple: without the ability to protect confidential sources, citizens will not get the information they need to participate in a democracy."
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have such "shield" laws in force in state courts, and 17 other states have recognized a reporter's privilege as a result of judicial decisions. However, there is no uniform set of standards that applies in the Federal courts. Thirty-five state attorneys general, including the District of Columbia, recently pointed out to the Supreme Court that the lack of a clear standard of federal protection has undermined state laws.
"Letting journalists keep their sources confidential isn't to protect the journalists - it's to protect the public's right to know important facts that otherwise would never come to light. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia have recognized this in their laws. The courts in the case of Judith Miller and Matt Cooper have made it plain that it's up to Congress to make sure the federal government finally catches up with the states and ensures that the press can serve the public by reporting the truth," said David Westin, President, ABC News.
"It is now up to Congress to recognize that an informed citizenry and the preservation of news sources are of vital importance to a free society," said Barbara Cochran, President, Radio-Television News Directors Association.
Over the last year and a half, nearly two dozen broadcast and print reporters have been subpoenaed or questioned about their confidential sources.
More than 80 media and journalistic organizations and companies have called on Congress to pass the Free Flow of Information Act.
Members of the coalition include:
ABC Inc.
Advance Publications, Inc.
Advanstar
American Business Media
American City Business Journals
American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA)
American Society of Magazine Editors
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Association of American Publishers
Belo Corp.
California Broadcasters Association
CBS
CMP Media, LLC
Colorado Broadcasters Association
Community Newspaper Holdings
The Copley Press
Cox Enterprises, Inc.
Crain Communications
Fairchild Publications
Forbes Inc.
Freedom Communications, Inc.,
Gannett Co.
Gazette Newspapers
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.
The Hearst Corporation
Indiana Broadcasters Association
Magazine Publishers of America
The McGraw-Hill Companies
Media Law Resource Center
Meister Media Worldwide
National Newspaper Association
National Press Photographers Association
NBC Universal
Newspaper Association of America
Online Publishers Association
The Press Enterprise
Post Newsweek Stations, Inc.
Radio-Television News Directors Association
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Society of Professional Journalists
Southern Maryland Newspapers
Time Inc.
Tribune Company
Washington State Broadcasters Association
Ziff Davis Media Inc.
For more information please conact NPPA president Alicia Wagner Calzada at awcalzada@aol.com.
