Germany
Amendments threaten journalists' rightsPosted Oct 25 2008
IPI released a statement Oct. 1 expressing concern over a set of draft amendments to the German criminal code that would restrict journalists’ rights to keep the confidentiality of their sources.
The amendments are part of a counter-terrorism bill and give the Federal Criminal Police the freedom to evaluate on a case-by-case basis if a journalist has the right to secrecy regarding sources.
“If these amendments are allowed to become law, German journalists will no longer be able to guarantee their sources the confidentiality they need, and many stories of public interest may never reach the public,” said IPI Director David Dadge.
Currently, the legislation, called the Law on the Defense of the Dangers of International Terrorism through the Federal Criminal Police, is passing through the German parliamentary process.
If passed, journalists would be stripped of the automatic right to protect sources’ confidentiality, but clergy, defense lawyers and parliamentarians would retain the same rights.