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Dec. 2nd, 2009 05:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trocheeregarding this attempt, by one of my Senators, to spike protection to citizen journalists within the proposed shield law.
I wrote Senator Feinstein:
[ETA] If you live in a state with a Senator on the Judiciary committee, write him or her yourself. The list is here.
I wrote Senator Feinstein:
in re: US Sen 448:
Please do not strike the provisions that shield unpaid and/or anonymous journalists. The shield laws suggested here should apply to the *act* of journalism, not only those who can afford to be paid for it.
The spirit of the shield law -- protecting journalists for doing their work towards uncovering and reporting the truth -- is entirely in the spirit of American liberty. Anonymity (and unpaid work!) goes back at least to Ben Franklin and Tom Paine.
Choosing to create a "protected class" of paid or professional journalists merely leaves the unprotected class -- journalists working to report, agitate, or explore, despite the absence of a patron -- even weaker.
Please withdraw your amendment to US Sen 448.
[trochee]
California resident, US citizen and voter
[ETA] If you live in a state with a Senator on the Judiciary committee, write him or her yourself. The list is here.
