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編纂為民權法第79-h條的紐約“保護法”，也規範了對抗由一個“專業記者或新聞播報員”秘密獲得或接受材料被強制揭露的絕對特權，包括對這些新聞報導依據的來源的身份。The original statute defined a
professional journalist as someone who works in the chain of newsgathering
and publication “for gain or livelihood.” In 1981, the statute was amended,
and the term “professional journalist” was revised to include “not only those
working for traditional news media (newpapers, magazines, and broadcast
media), but those working for any “professional medium or agency which has as
one of its regular functions the processing and researching of news intended
for dissemination to the public,” as well.原條文定義的專業記者是“為了獲利或生計”而在新聞採編及出版產業鏈工作的人。在1981年，條文進行了修改，而術語 “專業記者”被修訂為包括“不僅是那些工作於傳統新聞媒體（報紙、雜誌和廣播媒體）的人，也是那些工作於任何“具有新聞的處理及研究作為它的其中一項常規功能，而旨在向公眾傳播的專業媒體或機構”的人。
儘管保護The limitation of the Shield Law's protections to a narrowly
defined class of “professional” journalists may appear archaic now, even
though it is in fact typical.法實際上是典型的，但它對於一個狹義類別的“專業”記者的保護的限制，現在可能顯得過時。1 The statutory definition
is wordy because the very concept of the journalism “profession” was a
conceit.法規定義是囉嗦的，因為新聞“專業”的真正概念是自負的。There are no formal qualifications, licenses, or training
required to be a journalist.成為一名記者不需要有正式資格、執照或培訓。The statute therefore focuses on
what this category of persons does-and significantly, where, ie, mainly at
“real” journalistic enterprises that would be familiar to our grandparents
and probably theirs as well: newspapers, wire services, magazines,
broadcasters.因此，法規注重的是這一類的人做什麼，以及重要地，在那裡做，也就是說，主要是在對我們的祖父母以及可能他們的祖父母來說耳熟能詳的“真正”的新聞企業：報紙、通訊社、雜誌、廣播。
Today, in light of the Internet, the employment-based
definiation of “journalist” seems problematic, but until fairly recently it
seemed pretty sensible.如今，鑑於網際網路，以就業為基礎的“記者”定義似乎有問題，但直到最近它似乎是相當明智的。Decrying what sometimes seems like the
cancerous growth of malicious online defamation cloaked by the anonymity that
is unique to the Internet, I wrote in 2006:責難網際網路所獨有的匿名隱形的惡意線上誹謗有時候看起來像癌細胞生長，筆者在2006年寫道：
註1： “保護新媒體：記者的特權應用至部落客”，120 HARV.
L. REV. 996, 1002（2007）（ “儘管在保護法只保護 “報紙”的規定下，部落客少有勝算，大部分保護法包括未能解決是否涵蓋部落客的問題的定義語言。最常見的是，法規要求請求人加入於-或在某些情況下加入於與其類似之幾個被列舉新聞媒體(通常包括“報紙”，但通常也包括“雜誌”、“報刊(journal)”或“期刊(periodical)”）之一。
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