Lawyer's Group Votes to Protect Journalists

CHICAGO – The American Bar Association gave its backing Tuesday to embattled journalists facing jail time, voting to endorse federal protection for those refusing to reveal their sources to prosecutors.

The nation's largest lawyers' group overwhelmingly approved the measure on voice vote at its annual meeting. The move, which comes following the high-profile jailing of one reporter and threats against others, authorizes the 400,000-member ABA to lobby Congress, where "shield law" proposals are pending.

"Our action today acknowledges the important role of journalists and the democracy, and reporters' need to be able to protect sources in order to get that information," said Michael S. Greco of Boston, ABA's president.

"It also recognizes reasonable standards for compelling journalists to name sources or disclose information gleaned in gathering news," he said.

The ABA declined 30 years ago to back a reporter shield law, but lawyers reconsidered the proposal after New York Times reporter Judith Miller (search) was jailed a month ago for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame (search).

Earlier this summer, a federal appeals court also upheld civil contempt findings against four journalists, including an Associated Press reporter, whose confidential sources pointed to scientist Wen Ho Lee (search) as an espionage suspect.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have shield laws protecting reporters from having to identify their confidential sources, but there is no federal protection. Lawyers involved in the ABA proposal have said some kind of national law is needed to encourage federal government whistleblowers to come forward.