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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 14, 2024 12:54 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ben Waxman |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Increased Protections for Journalists |
| One of the fundamental pillars of democracy is the existence of a free press. But the press can only be free if journalists feel they can cover a topic using the necessary information. Ultimately, journalists in our state deserve to be protected from turning over the documents and records they use when covering the important events that impact us all. Currently, our state law protects journalists from having to reveal the identity of any confidential sources, but there are other pieces of information that journalists use in their jobs that deserve such protections. That is why I plan to introduce legislation to extend Pennsylvania’s media shield law to cover all records, information, and documents created or acquired by journalists in their professional duties. Pennsylvania should provide its journalists with the protection they need to do their jobs. Doing so will allow Pennsylvanians to be better informed about the workings of their government and community. I hope you will join me in fortifying the capabilities of the free press in our state |
Introduced as HB2543