Recently, a Reuters photographer took a picture of George Bush’s speech for the opening of the new White House Press Room. As you can see from the picture, Bush crossed out the line, about a free press being one of the “cornerstones” of our democracy.
Assemblyman Mark Leno, on the other hand, strongly disagrees. Upon Assembly passage of legislation to provide journalists greater access to prisoners, the Associated Press reported:
The news media would be given greater access to interview prison inmates under legislation approved earlier this week by the state Assembly, setting the stage for a showdown with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“All it does is bring some transparency to the operation of state prisons,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. “It’s about time the taxpayers get to know how the dollars are being spent within our prison system.”
Additionally Assemblyman Leno is fighting for a federal shield law for journalists.
The state Assembly on Thursday urged Congress to provide legal protections for journalists who seek to keep their sources confidential when judges or federal authorities ask for them.
It was the second time in two years lawmakers endorsed a nonbinding resolution urging Congress to enact a federal shield law.
“The federal government has yet to pay attention to us. We want to keep our voice clear and strong,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, a co-author of the resolution. “Without it, the government is in a position to make use of reporters as their personal investigators. That does not serve Democracy well.”
The resolution passed 73-0 in the 80-member chamber.
This is a very important issue for democracy:
“The framers of the Constitution understood very well that a truly free society demands a press without government obstruction,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “In an age when our cherished freedoms are vanishing at the hand of our own Federal Government, we must do everything in our power to uphold the democratic principles our country was founded on. Without a federal shield law, I worry about a dramatic and chilling effect on our freedom of the press and journalistic integrity in America.”
Indeed.
