University of Virginia Library

Newsman's Privilege Expressed

He expressed an opinion
held by most of those
testifying: "...a newsman's
privilege is intended to serve a
central First Amendment
interest –the dissemination of
news and information-which,
absent the privilege, would
often be unavailable."

The bill provides protection
for a newsman's sources and
for his unpublished materials.
But a reporter must give
assurance to the source that his
identity would not be
disclosed. As proposed, all a
reporter would have to do is
say, "The law will protect
against me having to disclose
your name. But I cannot hide
your identity if you are
committing a crime."