• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, April 9, 2009

A shield law for journalists has advanced in Texas, but the measure appears to exclude many bloggers and other citizen journalists.

L The proposed bill says reporters, writers and other journalists can protect whistleblowers and other confidential sources, but it only applies to those who engage in journalistic activities "for a substantial portion" of their livelihoods or "for substantial financial gain."

The Texas House passed the measure last week. The state Senate is expected to take up the bill next week. If the bill passes, Texas will become the 36th state to enact a reporter shield law.

Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the bill will offer legal protection to many journalists, including those who work online, despite its limits. "It was politically impossible to get protection for everybody," she said. "If you are a journalist and you are doing something on the Internet for which you get paid, you will be covered."

The bill is similar to the federal Free Flow of Information Act (H.R. 985), which recently passed by a voice vote in the House of Representatives. That measure also only protects people who derive "substantial financial gain" or a substantial portion of their livelihoods through journalism. A broader companion bill in the Senate would apply to anyone engaged in journalism.