[JURIST] The Obama administration, top lawmakers, and news organizations reached an agreement [press release] Friday on legislation that would protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources in federal court. The compromise version of the Free Flow of Information Act [HR 985 materials] would extend protections to journalists by creating a qualified privilege for those who refuse to disclose confidential sources. It would allow judges to weigh the greater public and national security interests against the need to uncover a journalist's source. The protection would extend to subpoenas for journalists' information as well as any efforts made to investigate phone and Internet records journalists utilized to obtain any information. In an announcement of the compromise, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) [official website] said:

We've come a long way in these negotiations and have now reached a compromise that strikes the right balance between national security concerns and the public's right to know. This new version preserves a strong protection for reporters interested in protecting their sources, while also making sure that the government can still do the job of protecting its citizens. This agreement should expedite this bill's movement through committee and the full Senate. The negotiated compromise creates a fair standard to protect the public interest, journalists, the news media, bloggers, prosecutors and litigants.