Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Germany to Strengthen Protections for Journalists

The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany in...Image via Wikipedia
Germany's Cabinet intends to enact a law according greater protection to journalists who rely on confidential state informants, according to Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusseur-Schnarrenberger.

Presently, section 353b of the German Penal Code subjects individuals who betray state secrets to a maximum five years' imprisonment. Prosecutors have employed the statute, which the Cabinet plans to revise, to search and confiscate material from journalists, irrespective of whether the scribes are accused of wrongdoing.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Germany ranked 18th worldwide in press freedom in 2009, two slots higher than the U.S. (take that, 1st Amendment lovers).


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6 comments:

  1. I'd reconsider hyphenating my surname if I were the Justice Minister.

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. Good point, Donna. It does look like something you would see on a wall chart in a Hamburg eye doctor's office.

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  4. Sheldon, I happened to read the above post before it was "removed by a blog administrator". In broken English, the person was thanking you for educating him/her. I mention this on the assumption that the "blog administrator" and you are separate persons. I'm certain you would not have removed this kindly-intended message of gratitude.

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  5. Donna, did you read the last Chinese response to a post on 3/26/10? It was entirely in Chinese and linked, in broken ethics, to an asian porn site. We should be grateful for the kindly-intentioned blog administrator.

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