Shield law farce

What is a guy to do when he opts for teaching following a reporting job, and then gets threatened by jail time for not revealing a confidential source from a series of stories he wrote two years ago?

Abandon his seventh graders and spend five days in jail? Or adhere to a silence which he says is "central to the journalist's code."

The sentence, given last week, is currently pending appeal. However, if John Rezendes-Herrick's appeal is not overturned, he will be the first California journalist in 25 years to go to jail for refusing to divulge a confidential source.

According to a Los Angeles Times article, the principal at Rezendes-Herrick's school stands behind him saying "Frankly, I'd prefer he'd stay out of jail," Jim Kissinger said. "But one of the things we teach here is the Constitution ... . Why would I want to fire him for it?"

Rezendes-Herrick's code of conduct as a teacher is to be loyal and responsible to his students.

At a time when he is trying to uphold the standards of his profession, jail time threatens not only him but the welfare of his students as well.

Reporters are supposed to be protected from such cases by California's shield law, which Californians passed by ballot measure in 1980.

Prosecutors should stop trying to challenge the laws that help journalists maintain integrity.