Recent Posts
-
Freeland: Globalization, Technology and Global Politics Driving Growth of the Super Rich
August 9, 2013 -
Ghattas: U.S. Foreign Policy Must Adapt to the 21st Century, Rising Superpowers
August 8, 2013 -
DoD Memo Sheds Light on New Whistleblower Protections
August 7, 2013 -
Whistleblowing Study Examines Fairness vs. Loyalty
August 7, 2013 -
Y-12 Security: Time to Give Federalized Guard Force a Shot?
August 6, 2013 -
Goodman: America's Bloated Military Spending Hurts U.S. Mission
August 5, 2013 -
POGO and Allies Urge Improvements to Surveillance Law
August 2, 2013 -
POGO Obtains DoD Memo on 20 Percent HQ Spending Cut
August 1, 2013 -
New Report Slams Contract Oversight in Afghanistan
August 1, 2013
White House Brings Back Bill to Shield Journalists
TweetMay 16, 2013
In the wake of the AP phone records scandal, the White House is reviving a bill that would protect journalists from revealing their sources, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.
The so-called media shield bill would in certain cases prevent journalists from being compelled to reveal the names of their sources. A similar bill had previously been introduced, but the White House had sought exemptions for national security leaks, which advocates said went against the essence of the bill.
From the article:
Prosecutors would have had to go to a court before subpoenaing a reporter, leaving a judge to determine whether national security considerations trumped free-press concerns. The legislation carved out narrow exceptions for cases involving imminent danger or a terrorist attack.
The White House tried to add to that list any leak case involving a matter of significant harm to national security. The administration changes would have instructed judges to largely defer to the government on whether the matter would have caused such harm.
Government-decided national security exemptions are frequently a hindrance to transparency, strong whistleblower protections and freedom of the press.
The shield law would not have prevented the Justice Department from obtaining the AP’s phone records, but it would have made the process more open and would have included an independent arbiter.
Read more about the history and future of the federal shield bill in the Los Angeles Times.
Andre Francisco is the Online Producer for the Project On Government Oversight.
Topics: Whistleblower Protections
Authors: Andre Francisco
Stay Connected
Browse POGOBlog by Topic
POGO on Facebook
Latest Podcast
Podcast: How The Intelligence World Came to Rely on Contractors
POGO's Scott Amey talks about the growing private intelligence industry that includes major federal contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, the former employer of Edward Snowden. Podcast with Joe Newman, Aimee Thomson, Jana Persky and Andre Francisco.
