A bipartisan bill aimed at protecting reporters from revealing confidential sources has its roots in a similar bill co-sponsored by then Congressman Mike Pence 10 years ago, the Washington Examiner reports.
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, former head of the Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, introduced a similar bill and hope that Pence's influence will stem any urge that President Donald Trump's administration might have to prosecute reporters.
"From the religious liberty in our churches, to the free speech of students on college campuses, to the ability of reporters to protect the confidentiality of their sources, these fundamental American freedoms must be strengthened and preserved," the Examiner quoted Jordan, R-Ohio.
The lawmakers felt compelled to write the bill after Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified earlier this year that reporters do not have absolute protections when it comes to protecting confidential sources.
They hope they have an ally in Pence, who co-sponsored the Free Flow of Information Act in 2007, designed to "maintaining a free and independent press."
"As Republicans who believe in limited government, we know that the only check on government power in real time is a free and independent press," Pence wrote along with two other co-sponsors.
The bill "ensures that journalists possess the ability, except in certain situations, to keep the identify of sources confidential and report appropriate information to the American public without fear of intimidation or imprisonment."
Pence's bill passed the House but died in the Senate.
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