With an assist from the White House, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday he will re-introduce his legislation to provide legal protections to journalists engaged in news gathering activities.
Commonly known as the “media shield” legislation, it cleared committee in 2009 but died in the Senate. The renewed push comes as the Justice Department faces scrutiny for subpoenaing the phone records of Associated Press journalists as part of a criminal investigation into an administration leak.
Schumer said it’s unclear whether the bill would have changed the outcome in the AP case, which Congress is investigating.
“This kind of law would balance national security needs against the public’s right to the free flow of information,” he said. “At minimum, our bill would have ensured a fairer, more deliberate process in this case.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney affirmed on Wednesday that President Obama supports the legislation.
