When prosecutors and litigants seek to unmask journalists’ confidential sources, it’s unfortunate, but not exactly surprising. They’re going to prioritize any advantage they can gain in court over protecting press freedom. But no one expects to see journalists demanding that other journalists out their sources.
That’s why it raised eyebrows when the NewsGuild, the country’s largest journalists’ union, recently asked a judge to force a reporter to do just that.
The demand arose from a lawsuit by journalist Mike Elk against the NewsGuild and its officials in Pennsylvania. Elk claims, among other things, that the union defamed him after he notified it of sexual harassment allegations against a former official.
