While ex-President Donald Trump poses the greatest threat to national news reporting, ex-President Barack Obama also acted to force reporters to reveal their sources. It is time, writes Rob Miraldi, USA TODAY, September 9, 2021, for Congress to enact a federal shield law. Earlier attempts to enact such a law were stymied by the difficulty of defining a reporter in the internet era, but, suggests Miraldi, a broad, simple definition works best, “…if you are pursuing facts to share with any public, you are a journalist.”
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden introduced a federal shield law in June that prevents the government from obtaining reporters’ phone and e-mail records often held by third-party service providers. The law would outlaw court-ordered revelations about sources but make exceptions where the information was essential to fight terrorism or identify a terrorist. (The Washington Post, June 28, 2021, by Devlin Barrett)