Last year the Department of Justice enacted regulations restricting prosecutors from prying into journalists’ newsgathering. It was certainly a welcome development. But it seems like every week news breaks that underscores the need for a more widespread and permanent solution to the unfortunate tendency of public officials to abuse their offices to spy on journalists.
That solution is the PRESS Act — a bipartisan federal “shield” bill that almost became law last year and will likely soon be reintroduced in this Congress. It would prohibit the government from spying on journalists or threatening them with prison if they don’t burn their sources. In turn, it would allow sources wishing to expose malfeasance or bring other important news to light to do so without fearing for their livelihood or even their freedom.
