Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.) plan to reintroduce their long-stalled legislation that would shield reporters from having to reveal their sources to federal prosecutors in most cases, according to the Chronicle. The exceptions would be in cases where disclosure could prevent imminent harm to national security, where journalists were first-hand observers to a crime, and where a corporation's trade secret was revealed. The Chronicle also reports that Sens. Chris Dodd, (D-Conn.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) are preparing to reintroduce a similar bill in the Senate.

Continue ReadingCongressional Democrats to Push for Federal Shield Law

Michael Brodeur, recently named as Joe Keohane's replacement as editor of the Boston alt-weekly, talks with IN Newsweekly, a New England GLBT newspaper, about being gay, but steers the conversation -- about himself and about the Dig -- beyond identity politics. "It's not that I go up to people and say, hi, I'm gay," says Brodeur. "It doesn't really matter. I just want someone to be interested in what we're writing."

Continue ReadingNew Weekly Dig Editor ‘Has Little Interest in Any Gay Agenda’

Jay Levin, who started the Weekly in 1978, says that RealTALK LA magazine, a monthly free glossy to debut in May, will "re-invent the concept of a city magazine." Its sister publication, Realtalkla.com, "is intended to create a new Los Angeles online community," and will be live in late April. Karen Fund, former chair and associate publisher of the Weekly, joins Levin's team as publisher and executive vice president of RealTALK Media Group, the publications' parent company.

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly Founder Launches Free Magazine and Web Site

In a congressional hearing yesterday in Washington, representatives from the ACLU, the National Security Archive, and the Sunshine in Government Initiative, of which AAN is a member, told lawmakers that key reforms are needed if FOIA is to truly be "democracy's x-ray." Among the recommendations heard by the newly formed House Government Reform and Oversight Information Policy Subcommittee: creating a FOIA ombusdman and penalizing non-cooperative departments. MORE: Clark Hoyt's testimony (Word doc) on behalf of SGI.

Continue ReadingHouse Subcommittee Hears Testimony on FOIA Reform