Legal Definitions - shield law

A shield law is a type of law that protects journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources. This means that if a journalist promises to keep someone's identity a secret, they can't be forced to reveal it in court.

For example, let's say a journalist writes an article about a company that is doing something illegal. They promise to keep the identity of their source, who is an employee of the company, a secret. If the company tries to sue the journalist to reveal the source, the shield law would protect the journalist from having to do so.

Shield laws are important because they allow journalists to do their job without fear of legal repercussions. They also help protect whistleblowers who want to expose wrongdoing without putting themselves in danger.

Some states have broader shield laws than others, but more than half of the states in the US have some form of shield law.