I’m no fan of Katie Couric, but it seems to me she’s getting the shit end of the stick these days.  A recent poll shows that viewers’ negative opinion of her is rising and I find that interesting.  She was extremely popular on Today, but the switch to a nightly news program makes them dislike her?  Just doesn’t make sense.  I watched Couric’s broadcast a few times and while it was certainly nothing spectacular, it was also no better or worse than her counterparts on NBC and ABC.  What has turned American against Katie Couric?

I’ve always been a two minds when it comes to shield laws for reporters that allow them to refuse revealing their sources.  Some of the recent examples that have been used to promote this idea have been either silly or just wrong.  In my opinion, all the reporters involved with the Valerie Plame issue is an example of when a shield law could be improperly used.  However, legislation that seemingly has bipartisan support sounds like a sensible solution.  I do believe there are instances when journalists need to keep their sources confidential and the example noted in the article of Jim Taricani would be a good reason for the shield law.  If the bill passes it would only force reporters to reveal sources in cases involving national security, harm to individuals, trade secrets, financial and medical information, and when it’s in the public interest to do so.  That final caveat seems like a huge grey area, but overall this sounds like a good law.  My next question would be, what does the law constitute as a “journalist.”  Again, this will leave the law open to a lot of interpretation.