McCain Panders* To His Base; Supports Shield Law

* Kidding, sort of.

Before an audience of Associated Press editors and writers, Sen. John McCain came out in favor of a federal shield law to allow journalists to protect their sources in most circumstances.

(Much excitement from the crowd).

McCain's now being questioned by the AP hosts about the contours of his support. He'd narrow the latitude a federal judge has in making the decision about whether to force a reporter to reveal his or her source.

Here's McCain's full quote:

"The shield law would give great license to you and your sources, with few restrictions, to do as you please no matter the stakes involved and without fear of personal consequences beyond the rebuke of your individual consciences. It is, frankly, a license to do harm, perhaps serious harm. But it also a license to do good; to disclose injustice and unlawfulness and inequities; and to encourage their swift correction. The First Amendment is based in that recognition, and I am, despite the criticism of campaign finance reform opponents, committed to that essential right of a free society. I know that the press that disclosed security secrets that should have remained so also revealed the disgrace of Abu Ghraib, a disgrace that made it much harder to protect the American people from harm. Thus, despite concerns I have about the legislation, I have narrowly decided to support it. I respect those of my colleagues who have decided not to; appreciate very much the concerns that have informed their position, and encourage further negotiations to address those concerns. But if the vote were held today, I would vote yes. By so doing, I and others, on behalf of the people we represent, are willing to invest in the press a very solemn trust that in the use of confidential sources you will not do more harm than good whether it comes to the security of the nation or the reputation of good people."

Comments

Marc, your anti-McCain pro-Obama bias is increasingly becoming... Sullivanesque. McCain has always defended a federal shield law. Now he is pandering? Geez...

Posted by Mary P. | April 14, 2008 11:01 AM

Protecting "journalists" is no business for the Feds. McCain is no real Republican.

http://www.gopcatholics.blogspot.com

Posted by Peter | April 14, 2008 11:20 AM

Protecting "journalists" is no business for the Feds. McCain is no real Republican.

http://www.gopcatholics.blogspot.com

Posted by Peter | April 14, 2008 11:21 AM

Marc,

How come you make no reference to Bill Krystol's column today?

Also, what about linking to Ben Smith's video of Obama in SF?

The Atlantic: Never Fair or Balanced.

Dissect all pols. Spare no one. Today, Clinton. Tomorrow, Obama, and week after McCain.

Spare no one. Then you will get the Pulitizer Prize. Only then. Biased Bloggers are dime a dozen.

Posted by eorse | April 14, 2008 11:32 AM

It looks like Hillary's gun-toting, church lady strategy has backfired.

Posted by Fred | April 14, 2008 11:41 AM

Fred, you might to actually read the two paragraphs before you read them. The article says it is possible it will backfire. And according to ARG (HRC +12, BHO -8 in the last week), it hasn't yet.

Posted by Zach | April 14, 2008 12:42 PM

Fred, you might to actually read the two paragraphs before you read them. The article says it is possible it will backfire. And according to ARG (HRC +12, BHO -8 in the last week), it hasn't yet.

Posted by Zach | April 14, 2008 12:42 PM

Sorry about the double post.

Posted by Zach | April 14, 2008 12:44 PM

McCain is the reason why I am a Republican once again. Before Bush, Republicans used to be in favor of small government and protesting the rights of all citizens, including journalists. This is not pandering, this is the right thing to do, even though most of McCain's party is against it.

Posted by Kris | April 14, 2008 12:52 PM

McCain is the reason why I am a Republican once again. Before Bush, Republicans used to be in favor of small government and protesting the rights of all citizens, including journalists. This is not pandering, this is the right thing to do, even though most of McCain's party is against it.

Posted by Kris | April 14, 2008 12:52 PM

I'll never vote for McCain, because of the rest of the Republican Party and his own terribly bad economic policies, and the war. Having said that, I have to give him credit for this.

Posted by glasnost | April 14, 2008 1:11 PM

Headline for this post: Laugh of the Day.

Posted by Susan Kitchens | April 14, 2008 3:21 PM

Leaders of the Society of Professional Journalists today welcomed McCain’s support of S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act.

“I’m willing to invest in the press a very solemn trust that in the use of confidential sources, you will not do more harm than good, whether it comes to the security of the nation or the reputation of good people,” McCain said. “And I would hope that when you do something controversial or something that many people find wrong and harmful you would explain fully and honestly how and why you did it, and confess your mistakes, if you made them, in a more noticeable way than afforded by the small print on a corrections page.”

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have various statutes that protect journalists from being forced to testify or disclose sources and information. No statutory protection currently exists for federal cases.

“Sen. McCain’s support for a federal shield law is welcomed news,” SPJ President Clint Brewer said. “At a time when overzealous prosecutors are attempting to use national security as an excuse to force journalists into acting as an arm of the law, it’s good to know that a presidential hopeful understands that the responsibility of the press is to keep a watchful eye on government.”

SPJ launched its campaign for a federal shield law in 2006. To learn more about SPJ’s efforts, please visit SPJ’s shield law page at http://www.spj.org/shieldlaw.asp.

Posted by Joe | April 14, 2008 4:13 PM