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onymousinfo about source protection and reporter's privilege and shield laws (state by state) - from usa perspective. i'll be posting a few reminders of the magnitude of the efforts of people around the world in recent years to maintain or increase protection for journalists and their sources. while people on yt and social media are acting a fool...
(hint: if you're on social media, maybe sometimes, you shouldn't know exactly who the sources are. especially if they were someone else's source and you're doing secondhand feeding off the material. for context, see this previous entry.)
https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1104/confidential-sources
THE FIRST AMENDMENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
PRESENTED BY THE JOHN SEIGENTHALER CHAIR OF EXCELLENCE IN FIRST AMENDMENT STUDIES
Confidential Sources
By Audrey Perry (Updated 2020)
Many states have enacted reporter shield laws to allow confidential sources
More than 30 state legislatures have enacted shield laws to provide reporters some type of privilege against the compelled production of confidential information. State shield laws usually are of limited scope and structure and protect only certain journalists or types of information from being revealed.
Freelancers and bloggers are often not included in the definition of a journalist and therefore have not been granted the privilege. Many laws include broad exceptions for certain types of information, for example, when it’s applicable to criminal defense cases. In 1970 in the federal arena, the Department of Justice provided journalists an additional safeguard against being forced to disclose information in court by requiring the approval of the attorney general for department officials to subpoena reporters.
Efforts to pass a national shield law continue
The issue of confidential sources will likely come under increased scrutiny in the future, as more people become involved in news gathering as a result of the ease of distribution via the Internet.
(hint: if you're on social media, maybe sometimes, you shouldn't know exactly who the sources are. especially if they were someone else's source and you're doing secondhand feeding off the material. for context, see this previous entry.)
https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1104/confidential-sources
THE FIRST AMENDMENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
PRESENTED BY THE JOHN SEIGENTHALER CHAIR OF EXCELLENCE IN FIRST AMENDMENT STUDIES
Confidential Sources
By Audrey Perry (Updated 2020)
Many states have enacted reporter shield laws to allow confidential sources
More than 30 state legislatures have enacted shield laws to provide reporters some type of privilege against the compelled production of confidential information. State shield laws usually are of limited scope and structure and protect only certain journalists or types of information from being revealed.
Freelancers and bloggers are often not included in the definition of a journalist and therefore have not been granted the privilege. Many laws include broad exceptions for certain types of information, for example, when it’s applicable to criminal defense cases. In 1970 in the federal arena, the Department of Justice provided journalists an additional safeguard against being forced to disclose information in court by requiring the approval of the attorney general for department officials to subpoena reporters.
Efforts to pass a national shield law continue
The issue of confidential sources will likely come under increased scrutiny in the future, as more people become involved in news gathering as a result of the ease of distribution via the Internet.
