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Senate committee sends media shield bill to the floor after reporters testify about subpoenas
Summary
House Bill 158, a proposed media shield law to protect reporters’ unpublished materials and anonymous sources, advanced from the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee after testimony from several Idaho journalists and a voice vote sending the bill to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation.
Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send House Bill 158 to the Senate floor with a due pass after journalists and media representatives told the committee the measure is needed to protect confidential sources and unpublished reporting materials from subpoenas.
Senator Dave Lent, sponsor of the measure in the Senate, described Idaho as “one of 10 states in the country that does not protect those folks,” and introduced journalist Melissa Davelin, president of the Idaho Press Club, to describe the bill.
“House Bill 158 would do two things: make it so a reporter couldn't be compelled…
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