Walden co-sponsors the Free Flow of Information Act

It's so nice to see a Republican co-sponsoring a bill with a commendable name like the "Free Flow of Information Act," and find out that it's actually, you know, designed to promote the free flow of information (as opposed to such nuggets of Frank Luntz-inspired Orwellianism as the "Healthy Forest" initiative and the "Clear Skies" initiative, both of which were a bit like calling a Roach Motel an "Insect Longevity" initiative).

Kudos to Greg Walden for enthusiastically adding his name to this:

While Oregon is in the majority with 32 other states that give protective shields to reporters from judicial subpoenas, many in Congress want the protection to be a federal one covering all 50 states. So last week, in what’s becoming an annual rite, U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) introduced the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, which would offer some protections to journalists and their sources.

Among the six House co-sponsors of HR 2102 is Oregon’s own Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), who says “coercing reporters to divulge their sources through the courts has a chilling effect on whistle-blowing and investigative reporting.... We in Congress must do everything in our power to protect the freedoms of journalistic institutions.”

WW surveyed the rest of Oregon's House delegation (plus SW Washington) to see where they stood, and published the results in the print edition: They got 3 yeses, a "maybe," a "probably," an "undecided" (guess who that was), and a "did not respond."