Press and public need a federal shield law

[Commentary] Citizens concerned about the state of the news media begin meeting today in Minneapolis, where the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform proposes to diagnose a number of critical conditions that are changing -- and challenging -- the media business. Topics on the agenda include media consolidation, rapidly evolving media-consumption patterns and the erosion of traditional business models. It will be difficult to get consensus on cures for what ails the news media, but there is one issue conference participants -- and the country -- can rally around: the need for a national shield law. Dubbed the Free Flow of Information Act, it would create a qualified privilege to protect reporters from being forced to testify and reveal confidential sources, unless clear criteria are met.
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