Caroline Little, chief executive of the Newspaper Association of America, an organization serving as liaison between a coalition of media outlets and Congressional staffs crafting a federal media shield law, praised Thursday's passing in the the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 13-5.
"The Newspaper Association of America applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing this shield law, which is a critical first step toward protecting the public's right to know. As recent events have clearly demonstrated, it is essential to protect both the freedom of the press and our national security through a balanced law that applies across all federal circuits. This bill will preserve the integrity of the news gathering process while still ensuring effective law enforcement. We believe this legislation deserves the continued bipartisan support of Congress, as it received in previous years."
Senator Chuck Schumer said after the vote in a statement that he's "hopeful that both parties can come together and pass it quickly on the Senate floor."
The broad media coalition supporting the amended media shield law bill includes the following:
A&E Television Networks, LLC, A.H. Belo Corporation, ABC Inc., Advance Publications, Inc., Allbritton Communications Co., American Society of News Editors, Associated Press Media Editors, Association of Alternative Newsmedia, Association of American Publishers, Inc., Belo Corp., California Newspaper, Publishers Association, CBS Corporation, Center for Public Integrity, CNN, Cox Enterprises, Inc., Cox Media Group, Daily News, LP, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., E. W. Scripps, First Amendment Coalition, First Amendment Coalition of Arizona, First Amendment Project, Forbes Inc., Fox News Network LLC, Fox Television Stations, Inc., Fusion, Gannett Co., Inc. Journal Communications, Inc., Lee Enterprises, Inc., LIN Media, McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., McGraw-Hill Education, Media Law Resource Center, MPA - The Association of Magazine Media, National Association of Broadcasters, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, National Geographic Society, National Newspaper Association, National Press Club, National Press Photographers Association, National Writers Union, NBCUniversal, News Corporation, Newspaper Association of America, North Jersey Media Group Inc., NPR, Online News Association, Online Publishers Association, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, POLITICO LLC, Radio Television Digital News Association, Raycom Media, Inc., Regional Reporters Association
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reuters, Society of Professional Journalists, Software and Information Industry Association, Stephens Media, Student Press Law Center, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Texas Press Association, The Associated Press, The Authors Guild, The McClatchy Company, The New York Times Company, The Newspaper Guild-CWA, The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC, The Washington Post, Time Inc., Tribune Company, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today