The Kansas House has approved a measure
creating a shield law to give legal protection for journalists and
their sources.
The House vote was 116-3 and followed a 39-1 vote earlier
Tuesday evening in the Senate. It goes to Gov. Mark Parkinson for
his signature.
The bill would give journalists limited protection against being
forced to identify anonymous sources or disclose information they
haven’t published or broadcast.
A journalist could be forced to comply with a subpoena only if a
district court judge ruled that the party seeking the information
made a reasonable effort to obtain it some other way.
The Kansas Press Association was the primary supporter of the
bill.
