Free Flow of Information Act
- Free Flow of Information Act
The Free Flow of Information Act is a bill intended to provide a news reporter with the right to refuse to testify as to information or sources of information obtained during the newsgathering and dissemination process.
While numerous U.S. states have shield laws, the federal government has no such law. The bill is an effort to enact a shield law at the federal level.
The bill was introduced to the United States Senate by Sens. Dick Lugar and Chris Dodd in 2007. [cite web|url=http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3862|title=Lugar, Dodd introduce Free Flow of Information Act|accessdate=2008-04-04] It was proposed in its current form by Sen. Arlen Specter. [cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/03/media.shield.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest|title=Top officials target media shield act|accessdate=2008-04-04|publisher=CNN]
In the bill's present form in the Senate, it would not act as an unqualified immunity for journalists. Instead, federal judges would be allowed to delcare certain news stories as having a public interest based on information obtained from condifential sources during the newsgathering process.
In October of 2007, the Free Flow of Information Act was passed by the United States House of Representatives.
More than 50 media companies and organizations support the bill. [cite web|url=http://aan.org/news/federal_shield_law_is_passed_by_house_of_representatives/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=195310|title=Federal Shield Law is Passed by House of Representatives|accessdate=2008-04-04|publisher=AAN] The administration of President George W. Bush opposes it. [cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,346228,00.html|title=Administration Launches Web Site Opposing Journalist Media Shield|accessdate=2008-04-04|publisher=FoxNews.com] Speaking to the Associated Press annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 2008, Senator John McCain, the presumptive 2008 Republican nominee for president, said "Despite concerns I have about the legislation, I have narrowly decided to support it." [cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2008/04/mccain041408.html|title=Remarks By John McCain To The Associated Press' Annual Meeting|date=2008-04-14|accessdate=2008-04-17]
References
External links
* [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RL34193.pdf Journalists’ Privilege: Overview of the Law and Legislation in the 109th and 110th Congresses] , Congressional Research Service, October 18, 2007
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Information privacy — Information privacy, or data privacy is the relationship between collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. Privacy concerns exist wherever personally… … Wikipedia
flow — [fləʊ ǁ floʊ] verb [intransitive] 1. if money flows somewhere, such as into a bank account or into a particular country, it is moved there: flow from/into/between etc • A record $10 billion in foreign capital flowed into Mexican stocks last… … Financial and business terms
Information Age — A visualization of the various routes through a portion of the Internet. The Information Age, also commonly known as the Computer Age or Digital Age, is an idea that the current age will be characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer… … Wikipedia
Free trade debate — Free trade is one of the most debated topics in economics of the 20th and 21st century Fact|date=December 2007. Arguments over free trade can be divided into economic, moral, and socio political arguments. The academic debate among economists is… … Wikipedia
Information — as a concept has a diversity of meanings, from everyday usage to technical settings. Generally speaking, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning,… … Wikipedia
Free market — A free market is a market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers. In a free market, individuals, rather than government, make the majority of decisions… … Wikipedia
Information security audit — An information security audit is an audit on the level of information security in an organization. Within the broad scope of auditing information security there are multiple type of audits, multiple objectives for different audits, etc. Most… … Wikipedia
National Labor Relations Act — President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the act on July 9, 1935. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins (right) looks on. The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act (after its sponsor, New York Senator Robert F. Wagner) (Pub.L. 74 198,… … Wikipedia
Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act — Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005 (CSPSA),(also called as Chhattisgarh Vishesh Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam, 2005)is a law in the state of Chhattisgarh passed by the Chhattisgarh assembly in December 2005. The Bill received the assent of… … Wikipedia
Computers and Information Systems — ▪ 2009 Introduction Smartphone: The New Computer. The market for the smartphone in reality a handheld computer for Web browsing, e mail, music, and video that was integrated with a cellular telephone continued to grow in 2008. According to… … Universalium
