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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III want more journalists covered by the law exempting them from revealing the source of published news or information obtained in confidence.
Republic Act 53 exempts only publishers, editors and reporters of any newspaper, magazine or periodical of general circulation.
Senate Bill Nos. 6 and 486 — authored by Sotto and Trillanes, respectively — seek to include station managers, producers, news directors, columnists, commentators, cartoonists, and photographers.
The Senate committee on public information and mass media — headed by Grace Poe as chair — will deliberate on the bills at 1 p.m. today.
The bills also grant journalists working for websites and wires to keep their sources confidential.
“Because of advances in broadcast and communications technology, there is no doubt members of the broadcast media now play an equally important role in the dissemination of news and shaping public opinion and public policy, not to mention in exposing corruption and anomalies in government,” Trillanes said.
Sotto said he is pushing for the expansion of the law’s coverage “to conform to the changes of the times.”/PN
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