Latest ruling in Herridge case highlights need for federal shield law

The latest decision in journalist Catherine Herridge’s legal fight over confidential sources highlights how fragile the reporter-source privilege remains in the absence of a federal shield law. Not only did the court refuse to reconsider the order forcing Herridge to identify her confidential sources, but it also asked the public to accept its decision without immediate access to the court records we need to fully understand it. On May 22, the appeals court declined to revisit its prior ruling requiring Herridge to name her confidential sources for her 2017 reporting about an FBI investigation into scientist Yanping Chen. Chen, who had founded an online college that received government funding, sued the FBI and other government agencies, claiming that federal officials damaged her career…