The Progressive has this release:

Thursday, July 10, 2014<br>
CONTACT: Nikolina Lazic, <a href=”mailto:nikolina@prwatch.org“>nikolina@prwatch.org</a>

TAKE A STAND NOW FOR A FREE PRESS
Tell President Obama America’s Best Reporters Should Be on the Beat, Not in Jail

The U.S. government is insisting that award-wining New York Times “national security” reporter James Risen reveal a confidential source — or go to jail. Risen says he won’t capitulate.

Now you can let this journalist and top government officials know that you’re in solidarity with his brave stand for a free press. Sign the petition “We Support James Risen Because We Support a Free Press at: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9775&tag=CMD20140508&track=CMD20140508.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation has called the government’s effort to force Risen to reveal a source “one of the most significant press freedom cases in decades.”

So much is at stake: for whistleblowers, freedom of the press and the public’s right to know. And for democracy.

That’s why our team at The Progressive/Center for Media and Democracy is joining forces with RootsAction, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Nation magazine to insist on protection for the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

Amplify our combined voices. Click here to sign the petition to President Obama and Attorney General Holder: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9775&tag=CMD20140508&track=CMD20140508.

Thank you for taking action!

— The team and CMD and The Progressive

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CONTACT:

The Progressive, Inc.
Publisher of The Progressive magazine
PRWatch.org, ALECexposed.org, Progressive.org,
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409 East Main Street, Suite 100
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-4929
Phone: (608) 257-4626

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Your ability to know what is going on in the world depends on the press being able to gather information without threat of jail.

A democracy cannot survive without the press revealing the facts that politicians and government officials would rather you not know.  The press has the right to keep their sources secret….especially in this age of no privacy, as we saw with the previous story on Brian Williams.  The ability to obtain information from sources without them being compromised is already in jeopardy without the threat of jail for reporters who managed to keep their sources secret from the NSA/CIA spying.