Sen. Dodd introduces federal shield law

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) Friday introduced a federal shield law that would provide an "absolute protection" for reporters' confidential sources. The "Free Speech Protection Act of 2004" protects against compelled disclosure for sources, regardless of whether the source was promised confidentiality, Dodd said.

An editorial in today's Springfield Republican endorsed the measure:

"The notion of protecting the press is neither liberal nor conservative, neither Democratic nor Republican. Through a functioning free press, the public is provided a window onto the workings of the government - at all levels. To impede the work of the free press is to block the flow of information to the people."