House Passes Shield Law on a 398 to 21 Vote

Over the past 30 years, nearly 100 bills have been introduced to protect the confidential relationship between journalists and their sources. In mid-October, newspapers and other media groups were successful in getting a federal shield bill passed for the first time in either chamber of the Congress. The House of Representatives approved H.R. 2102 on an overwhelming vote of 398 to 21– a margin that would easily override a threatened presidential veto.

NAA and more than 50 media companies and organizations are now working to leverage the momentum on this issue to encourage quick action in the Senate on H.R. 2102 or S. 2035, a similar bill that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 15-4 vote. In an Oct. 24^th alert, we urged all NAA members to contact their senators and ask for their support on a federal shield bill when it comes up for a vote.

On Oct. 26, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid attempted to bring H.R. 2102 up for debate in the Senate. We understand a couple of Senators have placed a hold on the bill. This procedural move was expected and reinforces the stated objective in our alert of obtaining the necessary 60 votes in the Senate so that the chamber can move forward with a debate on this issue.

First Published:
October 31, 2007