Journalists get protection

Journalists are to be legally protected from naming confidential sources. The provision in the new Evidence Bill means the High Court can only make a journalist disclose sources if it is in the public interest.

The planned protection comes amid an ethical row over Fairfax newspapers naming Prime Minister Helen Clark as an off-the-record source for a story it was being sued over.

Former Police Commissioner Peter Doone and his wife, Robyn, dropped their legal action against Fairfax when court documents identified Helen Clark's role, and have said they will sue her for defamation instead.

The proposed law protects both reporters and their employers, in both civil and criminal proceedings, if an informant has been promised he or she will not be identified.

Public interest considerations allowing a source to be named include ensuring a defendant's right to a fair trial.