Monday, November 28, 2005

Union Leader on the Shield

Today's New Hampshire Union Leader came out against the national shield law. While few people I've spoken with seem to think this will pass, the fact that it's even out there in its current form is somewhat disturbing. I keep hoping newspapers and other journalists will begin to look at the flaws in this legislation, rather than just trying to focus on the purported need for it.

The Leader apparently agrees with me, saying:

Furthermore, Lugar's law would require that Congress define "journalist." That would violate the spirit of the First Amendment, which was intended to protect all citizens, not just those who made their living with ink and paper. It also could lead to the licensing of journalists, which is a wholly unacceptable expansion of government power over the press.

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