§ 9-19.1-1 "Newspaper" defined
A newspaper or periodical as described in this chapter must be issued at
regular intervals and have a paid circulation.
9-19.1-2 Nondisclosure of Confidential Information
Except as provided in § 9-19.1-3, no person shall be required by any
court, grand jury, agency, department, or commission of the state to reveal
confidential association, to disclose any confidential information, or to
disclose the source of any confidential information received or obtained by him
or her in his or her capacity as a reporter, editor, commentator, journalist,
writer, correspondent, newsphotographer, or other person directly engaged in
the gathering or presentation of news for any accredited newspaper, periodical,
press association, newspaper syndicate, wire service, or radio or television
station.
9-19.1-3 Qualifications
(a) The privilege conferred by § 9-19.1-2 shall not apply to any
information which has at any time been published, broadcast, or otherwise made
public by the person claiming the privilege.
(b) The privilege conferred by § 9-19.1-2 shall not
apply:
(1) To the source of any allegedly defamatory information in
any case where the defendant, in a civil action for defamation, asserts a
defense based on the source of the information; or
(2) To the source of any information concerning the details
of any grand jury or other proceeding which was required to be secret under the
laws of the state.
(c) In any case where a person claims a privilege conferred
by this statute, the person seeking the information or the source of the
information may apply to the superior court for an order divesting the
privilege. If the court, after hearing the parties, shall find that there is
substantial evidence that disclosure of the information or of the source of the
information is necessary to permit a criminal prosecution for the commission of
a specific felony, or to prevent a threat to human life, and that the
information or the source of the information is not available from other
prospective witnesses, the court may make such order as may be proper under the
circumstance. Any such order shall be appealable under the provisions of
chapter 24 of title 9.
