Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-11-24
Plan to Change Law to Glass
Reporters With Lawyers
and Doctors
HAVE CONFIDENTIAL RELATIONS
New.s athersr often Comes Into Pos
session Of Information That He
Should Not be Compelled to Divulgo
in Court = Senator Jackson's View
-C,ene. al News.
Special to Times-RepuIblican.

Special to Times Republican.
Sioux City, Nov. 24.--ln order to
protect the condolences of those w(ro
give news to newspaper reporters there
Is plan on foot whereby reporters Will
be classed with lawyers, doctors ana
priests in the giving OF testimony IN a
court and that they should mot be
forced to testify to private informa-
tion which they have received whilc in
the discharge of their proper duties.
1t is generally recognized by all who
are In q position to give news to the
press that u newspaper reporter Is
often made confident by many; that
he receives information which cannot
be printed and which the members OF
the press generally regard as sacred
In order to bring this about, Senator
Jackson, one Of the men Interested in
the matter. stated this morning he Is
considering the question and he will
probably bring the matter TO the atten-
ton of the state senate at Its next ses-
sion.
Reporters Know Secrets.
In these days" said Senator Jack
son, the newspaper reporter plays an
Important part in the world. and, III
the course of his duties, naturally runs
across many things he cannot print.
For instance, II q man has any in
formation to give to the press, 1t Is
quite common for him to state pre-
vtous events SO as to give the reporter
a proper knowledge Of the matter. Now
some OF this matter may not be fit to
print or 1t may not be advisable to
print, and often the reporter gives his
word not to publish certain portions
OF the story as 1t would work u hard
ship on other people who would not
be brought in the public light In the
discussion of the real issue. Such q
confidence, believe, ought to be con-
sidered as sacred, and my experience
has been that newspaper men usually
do consider 1t so. 1t Is just as much
O professional secret as that OF q doc
tors. let us. say, and as l view 1t now,
/ think that he ought not to be forced
to bring 1t out on the witness stand.
Should Not 30 Forced to Tell.
lWeIl, dBatlH, VHe TepoTtef III IHc
search for news, may accidentally run
across information which he Is not In
a position to publish, or on which he
has not sufficient proof to permit pub
LEGATION. reporter, naturally picks
up quite a deal of information in this
way, the greater part of which Is held
sacred by him.
IN other instances q reporter OBJ
tains information Of business deal
which is supposed to be kept secret.
Now, no legitimate newspaper wishes
to harm legitimate business PROPOSE
ton and the reporter Is frequently
asked to hold the news for a day or SO
until the information Is ready to be
released. AS / have said, the legitimate
newspaper does all it can to help legiti-
mate business interests and the news
is kept secret for q length of time,
sometimes weeks and months, before 1t
is printed. Information of this char
acter ought to be considered pro-
fessional secret. ! think on the whole
1t is good idea and 1t would certainly
be very satisfactory to those who are
daily giving information to the press -