Yesterday, the Radio Television and Digital News Association called on its members to contact members of the U.S. Senate to get the Free Flow of Information Act, also known as the federal shield law, out of committee and onto the Senate floor for a vote.
The Free Flow of Information has been passed by the House of Representatives, was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in March after lengthy debate, and today awaits action by the full Senate. NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO ACT. We need the 111th Congress to pass the Free Flow of Information Act (S. 448) before the legislative session draws to a close.
The RTDNA call is one more push by journalism groups — including the SPJ — to get the legislation passed.
In a recent note about the legislation, SPJ president Kevin Smith wrote:
The Free Flow of Information Act, Senate Bill 448, currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate, makes it tougher on federal prosecutors to reach out, intimidate and promote punishment of journalists who won’t play by their rules. It protects journalists from jail, sources from being outed and the American people from having valued stories untold.
That is why journalism organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists are fighting harder than ever to make sure stories don’t die before they’re written, killed off by the specter of federal subpoenas. Stifling the press through legal strong-arm tactics has become a common practice, reaching levels well over 3,000 a year. Clearly, this has to stop. SPJ has been a proponent of this protective legislation for more than five years and our efforts won’t stop.
The Senate is scheduled to recess August 9 for the Labor Day holiday. Proponents of the shield law are urging members to raise the shield law issue while the senators are back in their home states.