IMPORTANT NEWS FROM SPJ ON THE EFFORTS TO ENACT A FEDERAL SHIELD LAW, aka
Free Flow of Information Act. -- PGN


Dear SPJ members,
 
SPJ is calling on you! Help the Society fight for a federal shield law to
uphold the free flow of information.
 
On Thursday, Sept. 17, the Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss, and
hopefully pass, S. 448 - the Free Flow of Information Act. The bill would
create a federal shield law that would grant protections to journalists who
refuse to reveal confidential sources, even when compelled by a subpoena and
the threat of penal action. Currently, journalists and their sources are
only protected by privilege statutes or administrative rules in certain
states. There is no federal shield law protecting journalists and their
sources.
 
Now is the time to act. The nation's journalists need your voice. SPJ
encourages members to contact their senators and let them know how important
S. 448 is to a free press.

Every member's support is important, and we particularly encourage those
represented by senators on the Judiciary Committee to contact that senator
before he or she meets Sept. 17 to discuss and finalize S. 448. The
following is a list of Senate Judiciary Committee members

Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Ranking Member
Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
Edward Kaufman (D-Del.)
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)
Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Al Franken (D-Minn.)
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman
Herb Kohl (D-Wis.)
Russell Feingold (D-Wis.)

We also encourage all SPJ members to contact their senators and voice
support for a federal shield law.

To learn more about SPJ's efforts, visit www.spj.org and search "shield
law."