Comments on: Journalistic privilege http://lawiscool.com/2009/10/23/journalistic-privilege/?nucrss=1 The law school blog and podcast from Canada Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mound of Sound http://lawiscool.com/2009/10/23/journalistic-privilege/comment-page-1/#comment-7004 Mound of Sound Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:07:44 +0000 http://lawiscool.com/?p=2155#comment-7004 By posing the question I assume you've never been a journalist. As a reporter I thoroughly distrusted lawyers. As a lawyer it was reporters I came to distrust. When I was asked to comment about a case and refused, I'd be asked why. When I said I'd been a reporter that was the end of the argument. Even when I was on the other side I thought reporter-source privilege was a bad idea. We have advanced press freedom in our countries without commensurate codes of responsibility. I trust very, very few reporters. Why would I want that horde to be afforded a privilege they're not responsible enough to honour? By posing the question I assume you’ve never been a journalist. As a reporter I thoroughly distrusted lawyers. As a lawyer it was reporters I came to distrust. When I was asked to comment about a case and refused, I’d be asked why. When I said I’d been a reporter that was the end of the argument.

Even when I was on the other side I thought reporter-source privilege was a bad idea. We have advanced press freedom in our countries without commensurate codes of responsibility.

I trust very, very few reporters. Why would I want that horde to be afforded a privilege they’re not responsible enough to honour?

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