Shield Laws

Hawaii Legislature Passes Shield Bill

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The Hawaii legislature passed a reporters' shield bill Tuesday that will protect both traditional and non-traditional journalists from compelled disclosure of their confidential sources and information and materials obtained or prepared during the newsgathering process. In one sense, this shield bill is a positive step forward, as it expressly contemplates that online publishers carrying out journalistic functions will take advantage of its protections.

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Maine Enacts State Shield Law

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Last Friday, Maine enacted a state shield law to protect journalists from disclosing the identity of a confidential source or source material that the journalist obtained or received during the newsgathering process. See 16 Me. Rev. Stat. §61 (click on the "webpage" link under the "Final Disposition" section). However, the law does not give journalists an absolute privilege against disclosing this type of information.

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Blogger Kathleen Seidel Fights Subpoena Seeking Information About Vaccine Litigation

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We've been following the subpoena issued to Kathleen Seidel in the Citizen Media Law Project's Legal Threats Database, but thought it was time to throw our support behind Seidel and post about this egregious attempt to chill online speech.

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Highlights from the Legal Guide: Protecting Sources and Source Material

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This is the sixth in a series of posts calling attention to some of the topics covered in the Citizen Media Legal Guide we began publishing in January. This past month, we rolled out the sections on Newsgathering and Privacy, which address the legal and practical issues you may encounter as you gather documents, take photographs or video, and collect other information.

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CMLP Joins Other Media Organizations to Oppose Contempt Order Against Journalist in Anthrax Case

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Earlier this week, the Citizen Media Law Project joined 28 of the country's leading news organizations, press associations, and nonprofits dedicated to preserving free speech rights in filing a brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit opposing the contempt citation issued against Toni Locy, a former reporter for USA Today.

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New York Protections for Sources and Source Material

Note: This page covers information specific to New York. See the section on Protecting Sources and Source Material for more general information.

New York has a shield law that may protect your sources and newsgathering materials. If you qualify for its protection, you must be careful not to disclose information you obtain to people who do not work for the same organization as you, or you may lose the shield's protection.

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