UPDATE: The link to the article seems to have gone elsewhere (thanks to jpfitz for alerting me), so here is a more recent one that has Chuck Schumer pushing the delightfully named, Free Flow of Information Act.

Can’t have those pesky bloggers and podcasters spouting just anything when there are approved scripts to read.

“The bill’s protections would apply to a “covered journalist,” defined as an employee, independent contractor or agent of an entity that disseminates news or information. The individual would have to have been employed for one year within the last 20 or three months within the last five years.

It would apply to student journalists or someone with a considerable amount of freelance work in the last five years. A federal judge also would have the discretion to declare an individual a “covered journalist” who would be granted the privileges of the law.”

Essentially, if you don’t work for the likes of the dying mainstream media, the government can (and will) subpoena any journalist to force them to reveal their sources or face prosecution. Apparently, as described by one of the nation’s biggest hypocrites, the First Amendment only applies to some people and the government should get to decide who those people are.

The article has links to the bills and amendment.