OSCE media freedom representative appalled by attempts to force US reporter to reveal sources

VIENNA, 28 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today said she was appalled by a U.S. Department of Justice attempt to force a reporter to divulge sources in a criminal trial.

Justice Department lawyers on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court in Virginia to affirm a ruling requiring James Risen, an author and a reporter for The New York Times, to testify in the criminal trial of a former Central Intelligence Agency official charged with disclosing classified information to the reporter.

“Just a month ago the Justice Department issued internal guidelines that would have excluded a reporter in a situation like this from being called as a witness,” Mijatović said. “Now it is asking a court to force a reporter to testify. There is no reason for this.”

The Representative again called for the adoption of a shield law to protect journalists and their sources.

“The right of reporters to protect their sources is one of the key principles of investigative journalism and must be safeguarded,” she said.

The Representative’s earlier statements are available at https://www.osce.org/fom/103842 and //www.osce.org/fom/102051.