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shield laws  

Definition

  • Shield laws are statutes that provide journalists either an absolute or qualified privilege to refuse to disclose sources used or information obtained in the course of news gathering. As of 2007, thirty-three states and the District of Columbia had enacted some form of shield law; Congress has yet to pass a federal shield law, although news organizations continue to press for passage of the proposed Free Flow of Information Act. [Source: Encyclopedia of the First Amendment; Shield Laws]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/shield_laws

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