WASHINGTON — Rep. John Conyers, Jr., D-Mich., the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Committee on the Judiciary, said Tuesday that he plans to reintroduce the “Free Flow of Information Act” to safeguard journalists’ welfare.
The announcement came in response to questions concerning the Department of Justice’s recent acquisition of office and personal phone records from Associated Press reporters and editors, the legality of which is currently under fire. It also comes a day before the committee is scheduled to hold an oversight hearing focusing on the Department of Justice.
“I have had a longstanding interest in ensuring that government efforts to compel disclosure of confidential press sources only occur subject to appropriate statutory safeguards,” Conyers wrote in an email statement. “For this reason, I will be working with other Members to reintroduce the ‘Free Flow of Information Act,’ legislation which would help journalists protect confidential sources.”
The Free Flow of Information Act of 2011, technically known as H.R. 2932 and colloquially known as the federal shield law, aimed to “maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media,” according to the legislation’s text.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists website, the proposed law would help maintain freedom of the press by safeguarding journalists and their sources from “federal prosecution or subpoena.”
Arnie Robbins, executive director of the American Society of News Editors and retired editor of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, demonstrated a cautious optimism towards the announcement during a phone interview.
“At first blush, that sounds like a positive development,” Robbins said.
But he said that the specific protections afforded to journalists by the proposed act would be the deciding factor.
“The devil’s in the details in terms of what’s actually in that, but it could be something that’s very helpful,” Robbins said.
Robbins went on to say that he thinks editors and reporters, alike, “would appreciate” what he called “the kind of protection which goes towards having a free press … in a free society.”
Conyers’ office declined to immediately provide further details.