Boston lawyer spearheads effort to pass reporter's shield law
BOSTON The case of Rhode Island T-V reporter Jim Taricani and others like it around the country are prompting a Boston attorney to try to pass a reporter's shield law in nearby Massachusetts. Taricani faces jail time for refusing to reveal who gave him a videotape showing a Providence official taking a bribe.
In Massachusetts, attorney Jeffrey Newman is working with New England Cable News, the largest regional news network in the country, to form a committee of journalists to help draft a reporter's shield law.
Some states already have shield laws -- including Rhode Island -- but there is no such law in Massachusetts, and previous court rulings are mixed, giving little guidance to judges.
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