Limits of protection of journalist secrecy in criminal proceedings

The paper is an attempt to delineate model boundaries of protection of journalist secrecy when it comes to criminal proceedings. Despite the existing protection available under media law which also affects the criminal trial, certain modifications are still necessary. The paper discuses events when a journalist must be released from the duty of secrecy in the course of criminal proceedings. The existing normative regulations have been analysed, their defects identified, and certain improvements and amendments proposed. The controversial issue of the actual waiver of journalist secrecy has also been examined. The general goal of the paper is to postulate creation of solutions that will result from proper decisions made when the concurrent interests and values clash