Acts of Journalism: Why We Need to be Skeptical of a Shield Law for Professional Journalists

By: Mathew Ingram | paidContent

A so-called federal “shield law” for journalists — legislation that would protect them from having to reveal their sources when pressured to do so by the government or the courts — seems like a great idea on the face of it. Journalists of all kinds have been targeted by the Obama administration in relation to leaks of classified information, and there are many supporters of such a law. As we’ve explained before, however, the big problem with such protections is that they require the government and/or the courts to decide who is a journalist.