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Committee sends media shield bill to Senate floor after journalists describe subpoenas for unpublished material
Summary
House Bill 158, a proposed reporter shield law, was sent to the Senate floor with a due pass after testimony from journalists and news‑site owners who described subpoenas for unpublished reporting and source material. Supporters said Idaho is one of 10 states without such protections.
The Idaho Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send House Bill 158 to the Senate floor with a due pass after journalists and local news publishers described being subpoenaed for unpublished reporting, recordings and source communications.
Senator Dave Lent introduced the bill and yielded to Melissa Daveland, identified in the hearing as president of the Idaho Press Club, who said House Bill 158 would prevent reporters from being compelled to testify about unpublished reporting or anonymous sources and would block attorneys from using subpoenas to obtain reporters’ unpublished notes and recordings. “Idaho media outlets are facing a growing number of subpoenas, and this jeopardizes their confidentiality with sources who trust reporters with their information, including whistleblowers within government,” she said.
Two local publishers described the burden of subpoenas. Don Day, cofounder of Elevate 208 Media, said his outlet faced a subpoena that cost “several thousand dollars” to fight and required legal counsel, diverting resources from reporting. Nate Sunderland, editor of East Idaho News, recounted that a reporter’s recording was played in open court after the outlet received multiple subpoenas, saying the experience was “horrifying” and warning of chilling effects on whistleblowers and victims who might otherwise share information with reporters.
Daveland told the committee the draft language was modeled on long‑standing shield statutes in Alabama and Kentucky and purposely avoids a narrow statutory definition of “journalist” to protect nontraditional and independent reporters who engage in new forms of newsgathering. She said: “Idaho is 1 of 10 states that does not have a shield law.”
Committee action
Senator Foreman moved to send House Bill 158 to the Senate floor with a due pass; Senator Ricks seconded. The motion carried and the committee recorded the bill as sent to the floor with a due pass. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally for the final motion.
Why it matters
Supporters said a statutory reporter shield would protect confidential sources, reduce costly subpoenas for newsrooms and preserve the ability of journalists to report on government and private‑sector misconduct. Testifiers said current practice leaves Idaho journalists vulnerable to subpoenas in civil and criminal cases and that other states have statutory protections. No witnesses opposed the bill at the committee hearing.
Next steps
House Bill 158 will go to the Senate floor for further consideration. Committee members thanked the witnesses for brief testimony and the chair closed the item.
