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But like lovers spurned too many times before, advocates of a free and open press, as well as First Amendment lawyers, chucked the teddy bear in the garbage and tossed the roses down the drain.
“It is a blatantly political move,” said Sonny Albarado, president of the Society of Professional Journalists. “I don’t know why anyone would think that this would appease those of us who are outraged. I think it is curious that the administration pushed for this the day after—the day after!—it got a black eye for secretly going around obtaining journalists’ work product.”
The media shield law will be introduced by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer at the request of the White House.
"This kind of law would balance national security needs against the public's right to the free flow of information,” said Schumer in a statement. “At minimum, our bill would have ensured a fairer, more deliberate process in this case.”
“When I heard this came out of the White House, I went, ‘Yeah, so?’” said Lucy Dalglish, the dean of the Journalism School at the University of Maryland and someone who has pushed for a federal shield law for years. “They think, ‘Oh well, we threw this bone to them before and it sort of kept them happy.’ Give me a break. This doesn’t pass the smell test.”