USA: RSF welcomes U.S. House passage of the PRESS Act and urges Senate to follow suit
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 4250, known as the PRESS Act, which would enact a federal press shield law protecting journalists from divulging sensitive sources to law enforcement. RSF urges the Senate to follow the House’s lead and adopt companion legislation.
The PRESS Act, a key advocacy priority for RSF USA for several years, took another step towards becoming a law. On January 18, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4250, the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act by unanimous consent. Its passage now sets up the Senate to pass its companion legislation, S. 2074.
The PRESS Act is a federal press shield law, which would prohibit federal law enforcement from subpoenaing protected information from journalists’ work or personal devices and accounts. Some version of a press shield law exists in most states, but a federal law would help protect journalists who risk jail time, fines, or other punishment for refusing to reveal their sources in federal courts or congressional inquiries. It represents a much needed improvement to legal protections for journalists and their sources.
“The Senate has a new opportunity to deliver a long overdue boost to American press freedom by passing a bill that enjoys near unanimous, bipartisan support. A federal press shield law like the PRESS Act is a commonsense protection that anyone who values the First Amendment should welcome.”
An earlier version of the PRESS Act, which RSF also endorsed, successfully passed the House in 2022, but failed to be included in that year’s omnibus spending package over the objections of a single senator. RSF USA has met extensively with members of both chambers regarding the importance of the PRESS Act and will continue to directly encourage senators to pass it.