The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 61st Annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on  June 23, 2012 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution reaffirming the rights of journalists to use leaked information and to protect their sources, and called on governments to respect these rights.

Journalists must be allowed to possess and use leaked documents. Further, they must be permitted to keep the sources of such information confidential so that whistle-blowers can reveal information in the public interest without fear of prosecution

Journalists play a key role in ensuring government transparency and accountability, which at times requires the publication of classified information in the public interest.

While there is a legitimate need for governments to keep some information secret to protect national security, the guidelines for the classification of information must be as narrowly defined as possible and a public interest defence must be available for those who reveal or publish such information.

Indeed, the right to source protection has been recognized by international bodies including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Bearing this in mind, IPI members expressed alarm at recent efforts by authorities in democratic countries, including the United States, Israel and South Africa, to undermine the rights of journalists to protect their sources and to work with classified information. IPI members condemned efforts by the United States to force journalists to reveal their sources and to reverse recognition of reporters’ professional standards. IPI members called on South Africa to redraft the Protection of Information Bill, which would criminalise the possession of classified information.

IPI members further called on Israel to drop charges against reporter Uri Blau, who faces prosecution for the possession of classified documents that he used to write reports alleging misconduct by the armed forces.

IPI members also called on all governments around the world to uphold reporters’ rights to protect their sources and to possess and disseminate classified information in the public interest. These rights do not serve journalists alone, but serve the entire public, which has a right to access of information that affects the lives and choices of citizens.