OSCE media freedom representative praises new Belgian law on protection of journalistic sources, calls for US lawmakers to pass similar legislation

VIENNA, 22 March 2005 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, today welcomed a new Belgian law which gives journalists additional safeguard by protecting their sources.

"For journalists to collect information in full confidence of their sources is a basic precondition for the freedom of the media, and transparencies in public life," said Miklos Haraszti. "I am glad that Belgium has joined those OSCE participating States which have honoured this principle by passing a separate 'shield' law".

The law, adopted on 17 March, will allow media professionals in Belgium not to reveal confidential sources in courts, except in some rare and clearly defined cases.

Miklos Haraszti pointed out that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has in several rulings stressed that protection of journalistic sources is one of the cornerstones of press freedom.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media also called upon U.S. lawmakers to speed up efforts to pass a similar 'shield law' at the federal level in the United States.

The proposed Free Speech Protection Act was introduced in the Senate in early 2005. Similar rules exist already in many U.S. States, but not at the federal level.

Because of the lack of a federal 'shield law', nine American journalists may face prison sentences for refusing to name their sources 'in contempt' of court rulings, including New York Times journalist Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine.

"The United States is well known for its investigative journalism," Haraszti said. "Therefore I call upon lawmakers in the U.S. to pass legislation to protect the very foundation for investigative journalism, namely the protection of sources."