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EDITORIAL: U.S. Senate should OK media shield law to help protect whistleblowersNov 14, 2009 (The Beaumont Enterprise - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Senate is about to tackle the health care bill sent to it by the House, and that major issue will deserve a lot of attention. But senators have other issues to consider too. The Free Flow of Information Act will help guarantee that whistleblowers have the confidence to reveal important information to journalists without fear of having their identities exposed. Sometime's that's vital to protect a whistleblower's job or pension. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the Free Flow bill, S 448, next Thursday. Most senators approve it, but the bill faces stalling techniques on the Senate floor from Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Those senators can vote against the bill if they wish. But they should not be allowed to prevent their colleagues from approving something that has already passed the House. The Free Flow Act has been discussed for months and changed several times. At long last it needs to get to the president's desk. To see more of The Beaumont Enterprise, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.www.beaumontenterprise.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |