Which term refers to the legal protection allowing journalists to withhold source names?

• A. Prior restraint
• B. Sunshine laws
• C. Slander
• D. Reporter's privilege

Answer: (D)

Journalists' privilege is the legal protection that lets reporters withhold the names of confidential sources. This safeguard supports a free press by allowing sources to come forward without fear of exposure, which helps uncover information the public needs. Shield laws or established legal reasoning behind reporter’s privilege recognize that confidentiality encourages whistleblowers and sensitive leaks while balancing the interest in justice; the protection isn’t absolute, and courts can require disclosure in limited, tightly defined circumstances when public interest strongly outweighs the need for confidentiality. The other terms describe different ideas: prior restraint is censorship before publication, sunshine laws open government proceedings and records, and slander is false spoken defamation. The term that directly captures protecting source names is reporter’s privilege.