WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

Ch. 113

WHEREAS, It is the intention of the General Assembly to
grant the news media an unqualified privilege not to reveal
sources of information, and a qualified privilege not to disclose
information, whether published or unpublished, transmitted or not
transmitted; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly grants these privileges to the
news media to promote the overall freedom of this State's
gatherers and disseminators of information, to give the news
media a free and unfettered flow of information, to perpetuate
the necessarily confidential relationship between news gatherers
and their sources of information, and to protect the public
interest; now, therefore,

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings

[9-112.

A person engaged in, connected with, or employed on a
newspaper or journal or for any radio station, television
station, press association, news agency, or wire service may not
be compelled to disclose, in any legal proceeding or trial or
before any committee of the legislature or elsewhere, the source
of any news or information that was obtained by the person for
purposes of publication in a newspaper or journal or for purposes
of dissemination by a radio station, television station, press
association, news agency, or wire service where the person is
engaged, connected with or employed.]

9-112.

(A) IN THIS SECTION "NEWS MEDIA" MEANS:

(1)  NEWSPAPERS;

(2)  MAGAZINES;

(3)  JOURNALS;

(4)  PRESS ASSOCIATIONS;

(5)  NEWS AGENCIES;

(6)  WIRE SERVICES;

(7)  RADIO;

(8)  TELEVISION; AND

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