October 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Carol Pardun, AEJMC President (803) 777-3244, pardunc@mailbox.sc.edu
Charles N. Davis, AEJMC Law & Policy Division Chair, (573) 882-5736 daviscn@missouri.edu
AEJMC Supports Free Flow
of Information Act
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
(AEJMC) joins the dozens of news organizations supporting the Free Flow
of Information Act (FFIA), a federal shield law that passed the House
and is now under debate in the Senate. A key component of the bill is
how a journalist will be defined. The current definition, attached to
the bill as an amendment, is too restrictive.
The definition of those who gather and disseminate news and
information of public interest should not be predicated on an
individual's employment, but instead on an individual's journalistic
practice.
Freelance journalists (who disseminate their work in a variety of
ways, including through reputable blogs) and student journalists need
the protections extended through the FFIA.
The AEJMC encourages lawmakers to expand the definition of a
journalist to be more inclusive so that this important law will be
strengthened.
This statement was issued by the President of AEJMC and through the President's Advisory Council.
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