By Tristan Weisenbach
Managing Editor
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bipartisan bill, the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act, in January that would grant reporters widespread federal protections.
The legislation, known as The PRESS Act, would prevent the federal government from using actions such as subpoenas or search warrants to force journalists to provide identifying information about confidential sources or other news-gathering records, except in special circumstances relating to national security and terrorism, according to the Reporters Committee.
Since the bill’s passage in the House in January, it has sat idle in the Senate awaiting a vote. With just months left in the Senate’s current term, time is running out to pass this crucial legislation.
The First Amendment of The U.S. Constitution grants us the right to freedom of the press. This includes reporting on sensitive or secret information, which is sometimes gathered by people who speak to the press anonymously to shield their identity in order to protect things such as their safety or employment.
Additionally, the right for the press to keep their sources and news gathering tactics confidential prevents the government or other outside agencies from intervening with reporters and their work, eliminating the suppression of information. This is a core principle of a healthy democracy.
Some states, including New Jersey, already have laws that protect journalists from being forced to provide confidential information about their sources. These laws, called shield laws, have been enacted in 40 states, according to the Reporters Committee.
By signing The PRESS Act into law, it would show journalists across the country that the state they live in should not dictate the level of rights that they have as a journalist. Because our Constitution — and freedom of the press — applies to all citizens in the country, laws that protect reporters should do the same.
The Signal urges the Senate to pass The PRESS Act as soon as possible before its term ends in January. Doing so can issue a new era of importance for journalism in the U.S. — an era that is needed now more than ever.
