Texas Family Code, Chapter 261, 261.101 requires that professionals such as teachers, doctors, nurses, or child daycare workers must make a verbal report within 48 hours. Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of up to 180 days and/or a fine of up to $2,000. Emphasis mine.baldeagle wrote:Clearly that's not what we were talking about or what this amendment is about. Why did you decide to introduce this bogus argument?EEllis wrote:The first reporter to go to jail instead of giving up a source was in 1848 so it's not some new thing. I'll bet early press had no belief they could witness crimes
Given the selective prosecution of that "crime", it's questionable that you even introduced it.EEllis wrote:and then just not give details because they were reporters. Also lets not forget a lot of times the crime is talking to reporters especially when dealing with Federal issues. Whistleblowing may be one thing but what about people giving up real secrets for pure politics?
Oh, gee. That makes it so much better. We promise we won't violate the Constitution first. We'll just do it when we need to.EEllis wrote:The justice department already has rules making subpoenas to the press the last option for federal law enforcement not the first.
First of all, a good reporter will have two solid sources, not one. Secondly, it isn't the reporter's job to hand you your civil case on a platter. What makes you think it should be?EEllis wrote:What about civil cases? Say someone lies and gives some false info to the press. Should the reporter be able to deny you the ability to find out and sue someone who damaged you? It's not some simple situation that is because "cops can't solve crime anymore".
The purpose of the Constitution is to tie the hands of the government so they cant abuse their power. Every time we ignore their abuses, we chip away at freedom. Eventually we arrive where we are now. The Constitution means very little, and the President routinely ignores the laws he is sworn to uphold. No one does anything about it, so the abuses continue and grow larger daily. It won't be much longer before America is gone forever, if we don't start drawing the line.
It's funny that we say, "Better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent man be imprisoned", yet we're so eager to help the government throw people in the clink for what we perceive as "crimes' because we don't think it should be so hard for the government to jail people. If someone commits a crime, leave the reporter alone. Prove a crime was committed. Do your job without taking unConstitutional shortcuts because it's too hard.
If a doctor, lawyer or psychologist witnesses a crime, they have a duty to report it. They do not have a duty to report that a patient told them they committed a crime. Nor does a reporter. And the government should no more go after a reporter than they would a doctor, lawyer or psychologist. Reporter shield laws would not be necessary if the government acted lawfully.
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