Senator Williams' article is also posted on the TexasCHLblog.
Chas.
Senator Tommy Williams' Response wrote:Why the public should be concerned about granting special privileges to the media
By State Senator Tommy Williams (R)
I firmly believe journalists and news sources should NOT be allowed to print anonymous information as “NEWS� with no ethical or legal accountability for its accuracy or truthfulness.
Earlier this week the Enterprise took me to task in a self-serving editorial ignoring my hard work and accomplishments for the citizens of Senate District 4.
It seems the editor of the Enterprise is upset because of my opposition to SB 966, the Journalist Shield Law. While reasonable minds can differ on the merits of the issue, the debate itself is a powerful example why journalists should not be given special treatment.
The truth about Senate Bill 966 was it attempted to create a new privilege for journalists bordering on the equivalent of diplomatic immunity. The new power granted to the media under this bill — a privilege that no doctor, clergyman, or lawyer possesses, by the way — presents a clear and present threat to the health of our free press.
A simple solution I offered last session to “qualify� this new immunity was to require all journalists and their publications to CLEARLY state (at the beginning of any article quoting anonymous sources) whether the journalist and their publications would, or would not, stand by the accuracy of their anonymous sources. Stated another way, newspapers like the Beaumont Enterprise are bound by journalistic ethics and legal liability to not falsely present information. Why would they then seek a lower standard of ethics, and wash their hands of any legal responsibility, for the veracity of their anonymous sources?
I do believe in shielding and protecting TRUTHFUL anonymous sources and I do feel a need to protect whistle blowers, but until the press is willing to be honest themselves about their own ethical and legal responsibilities to tell the truth regardless of whether the source is published or anonymous, I will continue to press for TRUTHFUL disclaimers to WARN the public when the press is printing “rumors� instead of verifiable facts.
By supporting their own special interest legislation, the Enterprise has created an irreconcilable conflict in their coverage of this particular issue. The result is prosecutors, businesses, and public interest groups who opposed Senate Bill 966 are forced to fight for what they believe is right against people who buy their ink by the barrel – and that is never a fair fight. That is why I fought to keep Senate Bill 966 from becoming law. Texas citizens deserve a free and independent press, and Senate Bill 966 was a threat to that once-proud institution.
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* Quote by Juvenal, a Roman satirist who lived in the1st to 2nd century A.D.
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Elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996, Tommy Williams was later elected to the Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2004. He represents all or portions of Montgomery, Harris, Liberty, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange Counties.
