The U.S. House of Representatives passed a federal shield law that includes a provision that bars the Justice Department from forcing journalists to provide the names of their sources. (Multichannel News, June 2, 204, by John Eggerton)
After an adverse decision this week by the Supreme Court on New York Times reporter James Risen’s appeal of an court order forcing him to reveal a source, a newspaper association is pushing the Senate to pass a shield law and finally establish a federal shield law. Said Society of Professional Journalists President David Cuillier, “Ultimately, this isn’t about protecting Risen or other journalists. It is about protecting the ability for Americans to receive the information they need to adequately self-govern,” he said. (Broadcasting & Cable, June 2,2014, by John Eggerton)
A former Fox News journalist revealed that in 2011 the Justice Department had subpoenaed his notes on confidential sources in a leak investigation. Mike Levine said he resisted the subpoena and the Department dropped it in 2012. Levine thought the subpoena was issued in the wake of story he filed in 2009 on Somali-Americans who it was thought went to Somalia to fight with Islamic extremists. (The New York Times, May 30, 2014, by Charlie Savage)