The European Court of Justice has given the European Commission the all clear to "go fishing" in journalists' files whenever it likes, according to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
The move could turn off potential sources and whistle-blowers from acting on their conscience for fear of discovery and reprisal, the EFJ's secretary general, Adrian White explained to EUobserver.
"It's a shocking invasion of journalistic rights," he said.
The court's recent (April...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.