A Federal Sheild Law: Would it keep journalists out of jail?     Publisher Lucy A. Dalglish Editor Gregg P. Leslie Managing Editor Kirsten B. Mitchell Associate Editor Loren A. Cochran Contributors Hannah Bergman, Susan Burgess, Casey Murray, Peter Saharko, Brooke Weese, Corinna Zarek Administration Lois Lloyd, Victor Gaberman, Maria Gowen RCFP Steering Committee Dan Abrams, MSNBC Scott Applewhite, The Associated Press Charles R. Babcock, Bloomberg News Chip Bok, Akron Beacon Journal Earl Caldwell, Pacifica Radio Rebecca Carr, Cox Newspapers Walter Cronkite, CBS News Richard S. Dunham, Business Week Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes Magazine Stephen Geimann, Bloomberg News Fred Graham, Court TV Stephen Henderson, Knight-Ridder John C. Henry, The Associated Press Nat Hentoff, The Village Voice Edward H. Kohn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Stephen Labaton, The New York Times Neil Lewis, The New York Times Tony Mauro, American Laywer Media Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times Wilson F. Minor, Factual Reporting Service Sandra Peddie, Newsday Dan Rather, CBS News Cristine Russell, Freelance Tim Russert, NBC News Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal Carole Simpson, ABC News Saundra Torry, USA Today Vickie Walton-James, Tribune Publishing Judy Woodruff, CNN Affiliations appear for purposes of identification. The Reporters Committee would like to thank The Associated Press for permission to use photos from its files. © 2006 by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Published four times a year. Price: $7.50 per issue. Address correspondence to: The News Media and The Law 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 Telephone: (703) 807-2100 Internet: www.rcfp.org E-mail: rcfp@rcfp.org ISSN: 0149-0737

The News Media & The Law   Summer 2006    •    Vol. 30, No. 3     In this issue:  Editorial   EDITORIAL The resolution of an ugly battle  Cover Story   COVER STORY Would a shield law matter? Because the proposed federal shield law grants only a qualified privilege and includes national security and eyewitness exceptions, questions remain about how it would help journalists in specific cases.   SIDEBAR The Senate bill   FEATURE Fighting subpoenas When media lawyers attempt to quash journalist subpoenas, other reporters' experiences bring to life the 'why' behind the law.   SIDEBAR Case settled, cert denied   GUEST COMMENTARY Not after reporters . . . just their sources  Confidentiality/Privilege   GUEST COMMENTARY A core question Whose interests prevail when balancing the First Amendment with company trade secrets?  Newsgathering   FEATURE Barring Journalists The news media have no special legal right of access to jails and prisons, but some efforts are underway to change that.   SIDEBAR Openness behind bars   SIDEBAR Keys to getting into prison  Freedom of Information   SIDEBAR Flawed Intelligence The CIA says it can decide who qualifies for media fee waivers based on the newsworthiness of the information requested.   SIDEBAR The CIA as editor   FEATURE Expediting delay Requests for faster processing of FOIA requests are often denied, and even when granted, do not necessarily result in quicker access to public information.   CHART Expedited processing wait times for 2005   FEATURE Q&A with a frequent FOIA requester  Legislative Update   FEATURE Open season on open records Concealed-weapon permits and legislative e-mail messages were targets for secrecy this year in statehouses, where shield laws also were on the agenda.  Prior Restraints   FEATURE The chill of blanket orders After long legal battles, the news media unravel blanket confidentiality orders in two federal circuits.   FEATURE Cases without courts The state secrets privilege keeps some claims from ever being heard  From the Hotline   HOTLINE From the Hotline  Libel   FEATURE Reporting false facts The fair report privilege may not be the best legal approach in defending journalists from defamation suits.      OPEN & SHUT Open & Shut A recent collection of funny, fascinating, nonsensical or just notable newsworthy quotations