Senate ratifies bicam report on bill expanding Sotto law

The Senate adopted and ratified Monday a bicameral report on the bill that expands the coverage of the decades-old media law to include broadcast, wire service, and electronic mass media journalists not to reveal their sources.

Senator Grace Poe, committee on public information and mass media chairperson, said the bill seeks to amend and expand Republic Act No. 53 or the Shield Law, which was confined to print media.

RA 53,  which was passed 70 years ago, exempts the publisher, editor, columnist or duly accredited reporter of any newspaper, magazine or periodical of general circulation from divulging their sources unless it endangered the security of the State.

It is also known as the Sotto Law as it was proposed by the late Senator Vicente Yap Sotto, grandfather of Senate President Vicento Sotto III.

The bicameral report proposed the law should now cover “any publisher, owner, or duly recognized or accredited journalist, writer, reporter, contributor, opinion writer, editor, columnist, manager, media practitioner involved in the writing, editing, production, and dissemination of news for mass circulation, of any print, broadcast, wire service organization, or electronic mass media, including cable TV and its variants.”

It said those covered in the law “cannot be compelled to reveal the source of any news item, report or information, appearing or being reported or disseminated through said media which was related in confidence to the abovementioned media practitioners unless the court or the House of Representatives or the Senate or any committee of Congress finds that such revelation is demanded by the security of the State.”

Poe earlier said the public now receives news not just through print media but also through broadcast media such as television, radio and the internet.

She said the Shield Law could not be used to protect a person from libel but it would protect media practitioners from being compelled or forced to reveal their sources but "not from spewing out malicious imputations under the guise of journalism."

"Through this law, we want to embolden whistleblowers to speak out. If they cannot approach government institutions, then they should at least be able to approach the media," she said.

Sotto, who filed a bill which was used in the approved measure, thanked Poe “for the improvement of the Sotto law.” — BAP, GMA News