Senate Stalls Media Shield Law
A mostly party-line vote means the shield law won't go to the floor for a vote before recess
The federal journalism shield law hit another roadblock today with a 51-to-43 vote against a motion that would have brought the bill to a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped to get the bill, which would protect journalists from having to reveal sources in federal court, to the floor for a vote before the upcoming August recess, but it was stalled by Senate Republicans, who shot it down in a mostly party-line vote. The Democrats and several Republican supporters fell nine votes shy of moving the legislation forward.
The bill could still get to the floor for a vote after the Senate returns from recess, but some are skeptical because of a busy legislative season and the fact that President George Bush opposes the bill and has threatened a veto. The legislation could have a better chance of survival after the presidential election as Barack Obama and John McCain have both expressed support for it. The House passed a version of the bill by a wide margin last October.
U.S. News spoke earlier with controversial former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, a proponent of this legislation, about the shield law, her time spent in jail, and her legacy. That interview can be found here.
Reader Comments
MEDIA SHIELD LAW
The problem Republicans have with this legislation is the same one EVERYONE should have with it in this world of instant Internet communication and blogs.
Journalists sometimes LIE.
Not all, and certainly not all the time; but it happens more often than anyone wants to admit.
If a journalist wants to print something that isn't true, all he or she has to do is quote the familiar "unnamed source".
Or, the "source" who spoke under condition of anonymity.
That's all it takes to spread a story that may not be true.
We already have laws protecting "whistle blowers".
Shield law
What the hell is the problem Republicans have with this bill??
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