judiciary committee Archives - News/Media Alliance

Statement: News/Media Alliance Applauds Passage of PRESS Act in House

Staff — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:12:30 +0000

The News/Media Alliance applauds the House of Representatives for unanimously passing H.R.4250—the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act). The PRESS Act would establish reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from journalists and their third-party service providers obtained throughout the newsgathering process.

Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey stated, “The PRESS Act provides a vital safeguard for the important work of the free press in reporting on matters important to our communities, without fear of government interference or intimidation. The Alliance thanks Representatives Kevin Kiley and Jamie Raskin for their leadership on this bill in the House and we look forward to supporting this important bi-partisan bill advancing in the Senate.”

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Statement: News/Media Alliance Applauds House Judiciary for Unanimous Vote in Favor of the PRESS Act

Staff — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:04:51 +0000

The News/Media Alliance applauds the House Judiciary Committee for unanimously voting, 23-0, in favor of H.R. 4250, the bipartisan ‘Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act’ (“PRESS Act”). The PRESS Act would establish reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from the media and their third-party service providers. The bill was reintroduced this Congress, by Representatives Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8), after unanimously passing the House last Congress. The bill provides much-needed safeguards to protect the important investigative work of the free press on matters critical to preserving our democracy. The Alliance looks forward to the bill advancing in both the House and Senate and will continue to support legislative efforts that protect journalists throughout the newsgathering process.

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Statement: House Judiciary Committee Holds Markup of PRESS Act

Staff — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 19:51:53 +0000

The News Media Alliance applauds the House Judiciary Committee on the markup of the bi-partisan Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act or the “PRESS Act.” The PRESS Act would establish reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from the media and their third-party service providers. The Act was originally introduced last year by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) following reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was misusing statutes to obtain information from and about journalists. The safeguards enumerated in the PRESS Act are critical to supporting and maintaining a free and independent press.

The Alliance looks forward to the Act being signed into law and continues to support legislative efforts to protect journalists from any attempt to thwart the newsgathering process.

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Statement: Representative Raskin Introduces Federal Shield Bill, the PRESS Act, in the House

Staff — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 15:46:46 +0000

Today, Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act in the House, which establishes reasonable ground rules for when the government can obtain confidential source information from the media and their third-party service providers. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a similar bill in the Senate on Monday.

Groundbreaking investigative stories of government corruption and other wrongdoings would remain unknown – both to the public and to Congress – without information gathered from confidential sources by investigative journalists. Actions by the government to learn journalists’ confidential sources undermine the ability of the press, as outlined in the First Amendment, to provide important information to the public about such transgressions.

The legislation introduced now in both the House and Senate would prevent government overreach in obtaining confidential information that would expose anonymous sources and jeopardize the public’s right to know, while at the same time enabling law enforcement officials to get the information they need to investigate and prosecute crimes to keep the nation secure.

Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “We must do more to protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources used in investigative reporting, which are often crucial to helping to shed light on important public matters critical to preserving our democracy. We are grateful to Representative Raskin for his leadership in introducing this legislation, as well as Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler for calling attention to the problem of prosecutorial overreach when it comes to seeking source information from reporters.”

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