Reporters' Program Prompts Congressmen to Act

Two members of the United States Congress from different parties recently joined in speaking out in favor of legislation to protect the confidentiality of news sources after participating in a program co-sponsored by Arundel Books in Seattle, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), and the MLRC Institute. Following a discussion of the proposed federal shield law, which took place on Friday, July 18, at the Downtown Seattle Republican Club, Rep. Jay Inslee (D) and Rep. David G. Reichert (R), who represent districts in the Seattle area, both agreed to contact members of their parties in the Senate to urge passage of the bill, the Free Flow of Information Act (S. 2035), which already passed in the House. As reported last week, the Seattle program was one of more than a dozen events featuring reporters that are occurring in bookstores around the country.

"The purpose of the reporters' programs is to help educate the public about the importance of protecting confidential sources, but we're certainly delighted that the Seattle program encouraged Congressmen Inslee and Reichert to speak out," said ABFFE President Chris Finan.

Inslee and Reichert agreed to act in response to a question from the program's moderator, Phil Bevis, the owner of Arundel books.

On Friday, July 25, Reichert, who is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment, and a former sheriff of Washington's King County, wrote to Republican Senators. "The Senate now has the opportunity to protect the public's right to know by passing S. 2035," he said. "As a former law enforcement officer, I understand the importance of protecting the identity of our undercover agents and the need to protect classified information.... However, the bill before Congress strikes an appropriate balance between the needs of law enforcement and the rights of reporters."

During the program, Inslee agreed to communicate with Washington Senators Patty Murray (D) and Maria Cantwell (D). Murray is a co-sponsor of S. 2035.

Despite Reichert's and Inslee's efforts, on Wednesday, June 30, the Senate refused to bring the bill to a vote. However, there is still hope that it will be brought up again in the Senate before the end of the year.

ABFFE joined the MRLC Institute in launching the reporters' programs in 2006 at a time when government officials were increasingly demanding that reporters reveal the sources of the confidential information that appeared in their stories. In its first year, 17 bookstores hosted programs in which reporters and media lawyers discussed why these demands threatened the ability of the press to report on issues of public interest. The program at Arundel Books was part of a second round of reporters' programs now underway. ABFFE and the MLRC Institute recently announced that a third round of reporters programs would focus on the impact of the Internet on American journalism. Bookstores interested in hosting a program should contact Finan at [email protected] or (212) 587-4025, ext. 15.