US House Of Representatives Passes Reporter's Shield Law—Again
The bill moves to the U.S. Senate, where it has the support of Senators Ron Wyden, Mike Lee, and Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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A federal shield for journalists with support from both Democrats and Republicans was unanimously passed by a voice vote in the United States House of Representatives. It was previously passed by the House in 2022.
The Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act, or the PRESS Act, was re-introduced in 2023. It would “prohibit the federal government from compelling journalists and providers of telecommunications services to provide information identifying a source or any other record obtained or created by journalists in the course of their work,” according to a House Judiciary Committee report from December.
Several U.S. news media organizations, like the New York Times and the Washington Post, support the proposed shield law. A coalition of civil liberties, human rights, and press freedom organizations led by the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) also support the shield law.
FPF advocacy director Seth Stern celebrated. “With the House’s bipartisan vote approving the PRESS Act, Congress comes one step closer to providing powerful protection against surveillance of journalists. Now it’s up to the Senate to finish the job by passing this historic legislation and sending it to the president’s desk to sign.”
“Even as the House votes to pass the PRESS Act, reporters are being put in the agonizing position of being threatened with crippling fines or even jail time for refusing to name their sources,” added Caitlin Vogus, FPF deputy advocacy director.
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What happened to previous attempts to pass the bill ?