The Press: No Malice, No Compulsion

What lawyers hear in their law offices, doctors in their consulting rooms, priests in their confessionals, they need not disclose in courts of law. Newshawks try to preserve a similar code, and sometimes go to jail for doing so, for only in four States—Maryland, New Jersey, Alabama, California—does the law specifically allow newshawks the right of concealing their news sources. Three weeks ago when Arkansas voters went to the polls they were asked to vote on a proposal to revise the State's criminal code to give newshawks immunity. The count was slow coming...