"You have a right to know"......Begins Locally

Your Right to Know: 'Shield laws' help media provide information
10:03 PM CST on Sunday, February 27, 2005

Why do you read the newspaper?
Beyond the ads and advice columns, comics and cooking tips, we believe it's because you want to understand how the world and your town work. Our goal is that you will find in your front yard each morning important information that some people would rather you not know.
And sometimes that means quoting "sources close to the investigation," "a senior administration official" or even "a family friend who asked not to be identified."
An anonymous source is never a newspaper's first choice and always faces higher internal and external scrutiny. But if not for the protection of anonymity, you might remember Richard Nixon for his trip to China, instead of Watergate.
Or, closer to home, you would not know about steroid use among athletes at Colleyville Heritage High School if not for one brave mother who initially spoke to us on the condition that we not publish her name.
If you value those stories – and the thousands of others in between that hinge on a journalist's promise to protect a source's identity – join us in encouraging our Legislature and Congress to pass legislation to provide state and federal "shield laws."
In Austin, Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, have filed bills that would give journalists qualified privilege to not reveal confidential information, including the name of an anonymous source. Texas would join the more than 30 states that already offer similar protection.
In Washington, Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind.; Rick Boucher, D-Va.; and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., have introduced the "Free Flow of Information Act," which protects reporters from being forced to testify in federal criminal or civil cases, without meeting strict criteria.
This newspaper and other responsible news organizations do not promise confidentiality without serious consideration. Before we publish or broadcast that information, one argument will trump all:
You have a right to know.
Read the bills
State: www.capitol.state.tx.us (Search for SB604)
Federal: www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/s340.html
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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/022805dnedishield.2f0d6.html