Hon. Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
House of Representatives
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi,

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, a 2,100-person strong organization with members from Alaska to Puerto Rico, solidly supports H.R. 2102, The Free Flow of Information Act, in its current form and rejects any amendments that would weaken the protections for journalists.

The bill would create a qualified federal shield law, protecting journalists from revealing confidential sources under certain conditions. We believe the law would strike an appropriate balance between the free flow of information to the public via the news media and the need to ensure the safety and security of the American people and its allies.

As more journalists are jailed or threatened with jail time in recent years, it has become clear how the lack of these protections for journalists can be used to hinder a free press or, worse yet, further political agendas or cover up wrongdoing. Our brothers and sisters in newsrooms in many parts of Latin America know all too well how self-censorship or the fear of threats undermines the transparency essential to a democracy. We should not allow current circumstances and the current administration to push us toward that path.

Print, broadcast, and online journalists have been gathering and reporting the news from confidential sources for decades without a uniform federal shield law. The District of Columbia and 49 states already recognize an absolute or qualified privilege for working journalists. Now it’s time for Congress to create a federal standard.

We urge you to vote in favor and pass The Free Flow of Information Act, and to vote against any amendments that would weaken the bill’s protections. We also urge you to strongly encourage your colleagues in the House of Representatives to do the same.

Sincerely,

Rafael Olmeda, NAHJ President

cc: Hon. Steny H. Hoyer, House Democratic Majority Leader
Hon. John Boehner, Office of the Republican Leader
Hon. James. E. Clyburn, Office of the Majority Whip
Hon. Roy Blunt, Office of the Republican Whip
Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary