Durbin’s pontifications about who’s entitled to press freedom were uttered in the course of promoting a federal “shield law” that would allow those “real” journalists to conceal their sources.
For a “shield law” to have any meaning, it has to define who is and who isn’t a journalist. Effectively, that would give the government de facto (if not actual) authority to license journalism. Just as the power to tax is the power to destroy, government licensure becomes government control. If they don’t like you, they can deny your license to practice your livelihood. And writing or producing things the government doesn’t like is a sure way to get them to not like you.
Durbin’s pontifications about who’s entitled to press freedom were uttered in the course of promoting a federal “shield law” that would allow those “real” journalists to conceal their sources.
For a “shield law” to have any meaning, it has to define who is and who isn’t a journalist. Effectively, that would give the government de facto (if not actual) authority to license journalism. Just as the power to tax is the power to destroy, government licensure becomes government control. If they don’t like you, they can deny your license to practice your livelihood. And writing or producing things the government doesn’t like is a sure way to get them to not like you.