More than 100 Individuals Urge Senate to Pass Press Protection Bill

A group of over 100 attorneys, professors, and journalists have sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging the markup of the bipartisan press protection bill known as the Protect Reports from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act. The bill aims to prevent the federal government from compelling journalists and telecommunication service providers to disclose certain protected information, except in specific circumstances like preventing terrorism or imminent violence.

The letter, directed to Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., emphasizes the necessity for such a bill to safeguard journalists from revealing their sources and to keep the public informed. Despite being introduced almost a year ago, the bill has not progressed beyond the committee stage.

Signatories of the letter include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Intercept, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Penguin Random House LLC, and the New York Press Association.

The letter references a recent case in February where journalist Catherine Herridge was held in contempt of court for refusing to disclose her sources while reporting for Fox News about an online school’s alleged connections to the Chinese military.

“As co-sponsors of the PRESS Act, we know you understand the importance of this legislation. We urge you to promptly schedule a markup of the PRESS ACT in the Senate Judiciary so that it ca be considered by the full Senate and become the law of the land. Doing so would immeasurably fortify American’s First Amendment right,” the letter concluded.