Beginning of Essay
- A judge's order prohibiting the attorneys and the parties to a pending lawsuit or criminal prosecution from talking to the media or the public about the case. The supposed intent is to prevent prejudice due to pre-trial publicity which would influence potential ....

Middle of Essay
.... Bush issued a which forbade federally funded health clinics from giving out information about abortions, a which President Bill Clinton rescinded on his first day in office, January 22, 1993. Shield Laws - Statutes enacted in some states which declare that communications between news reporters and informants are confidential and privileged and thus cannot be testified to in court. This is similar to the doctor-patient, lawyer-client or priest-parishioner privilege. The concept is to allow a journalist to perform his/her function of gathering news without being ordered to reveal his/her sources and notes of conversations. In states which have no ....