When faced with a subpoena, news organizations and their attorneys should take advantage of The Reporters Committee's new comprehensive guide to the law of the reporter's privilege. The Reporter's Privilege Compendium, released on the Web in December 2002, is the most extensive work on the reporter's privilege available anywhere.

The compendium is a detailed guide to the law of subpoenas and the reporter's privilege in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and every federal circuit. Each guide was written by a lawyer in that jurisdiction who has handled subpoena cases.

The compendium is meant to guide attorneys through the process of responding to subpoenas on behalf of journalists under the laws of their jurisdiction. In addition to giving a detailed analysis of each state's privilege laws, the guides provide practical information about subpoenas generally, including when and how a subpoena can be issued and how to make a motion to quash. The guide also covers contempt proceedings and the appeals process.

The compendium also provides helpful information on resisting newsroom searches by government authorities and fighting subpoenas issued to telephone companies in search of journalists' sources.

The compendium is geared primarily towards lawyers, but journalists will also benefit from the project's comprehensive guide to reporter's privilege laws. The Reporters Committee advises journalists and news organizations to consult an attorney when served with a subpoena or search warrant.

The compendium is on the Reporters Committee Web site at www.rcfp.org/privilege.