Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sent a letter to Senate colleagues Thursday calling on them to support the newly introduced media shield bill to protect journalists’ rights in news gathering activities.
“The government has a legitimate interest in preventing and investigating leaks of classified information; at the same time, the public has a legitimate interest in a robust free press,” the senators wrote. “This bill strikes a fair and reasonable balance between those interests, and we urge you to join us in advancing it.”
The measure, championed by the White House, has been reintroduced in the wake of revelations that the Justice Department reviewed phone records of Associated Press journalists as part of a leak investigation.
