Senate Panel Takes Up Press Shield Bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee is trying again to tackle a bill that would shield reporters from being forced to reveal their sources in federal court.

The Bush administration opposes the bill on grounds it would make it harder to trace the source of leaks.

A bipartisan compromise, the measure to be considered by the committee Thursday would create the first federal shield law for reporters. The panel could not finish considering all amendments a week earlier.

In an objection echoed by some Republican senators, the Justice Department and Bush’s intelligence officials say that leaked reports of intelligence activities have been a valuable source of information to the nation’s adversaries. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., touted Justice Department statistics that show that 19 subpoenas have been issued for source-related material since 1992, and only four have been approved since 2001.

But supporters point out that the bill includes exemptions for cases in which investigators are tracking acts of terrorism in the U.S. and other countries. An amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., would keep accused spies, agents of foreign countries and terrorists from claiming the same protections extended to journalists.

The bill is supported by 50 news organizations, including The Associated Press.

The House Judiciary Committee passed its own bill in August.

The bill number is S. 2035.
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* A text of the bill may be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov

– By Laurie Kellman

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