The Senate Judiciary Committee will go into session Thursday, 6/14/07, to discuss the ongoing proposal to add a federal reporters shield to the many such journalistic protections that exist at the state level. At issue is a reporter's right to protect confidential sources, often a sticking point when criminal behavior and the government come into close proximity.
The issue was thrown into the spotlight when then-New York Times reported Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to reveal sources in the trial of Scooter Libby. Testifying before the committee will be Miller's former colleague, retired NYT columnist William Safire. He'll be joined by attorney Lee Levine of Levine Sullivan, Koch & Schultz, George Washington School of Law lecturer Randall E. Eliason, and an as-yet-unnamed representative of the DOJ. The panel kicks off at 10AM.
