Bill > H2255

This bill, titled the "Free Flow of Information Act," aims to protect members of the news media from being forced to reveal certain information by government entities. Specifically, it defines a "covered person" as anyone working for the "news media" (which broadly includes newspapers, broadcasters, online news outlets, and more) who gathers news. The bill prevents government branches from compelling these covered persons to disclose the identity of their sources, even if confidentiality wasn't promised, or to reveal unpublished news materials like notes, outtakes, or raw footage, unless very specific exceptions apply. These exceptions include situations where disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent harm from terrorism and the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs the public's interest in protecting free information flow. Additionally, a court can only compel the release of unpublished news materials if the information is critical to a significant legal issue, cannot be obtained elsewhere, and there's an overriding public interest, but even then, the source's identity remains protected. The bill also clarifies that publishing or disseminating some of the information does not automatically waive these protections.