Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas blocked a bipartisan bill, that would have given journalists more protections under federal law, after Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon asked for unanimous consent Tuesday.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) brought the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act —which would prohibit the federal government from forcing journalists and telecom companies to disclose certain information, with exceptions for terroristic or violent threats—for a unanimous consent vote.

The Republican-majority House voted earlier this year to pass the PRESS Act, legislation that would protect reporters from being spied on by the government.

A shield law known as the PRESS Act that would give journalists greater federal protections failed to pass the Senate on Tuesday evening after it was blocked by Senator Tom Cotton. Shield laws protect journalists from being forced by the government to disclose information such as the identities of sources.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) blocked a federal shield law that would protect journalists from revealing their sources and material to the government. In the Senate on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked for unanimous consent for the Senate to pass the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act,

With the clock ticking on the current Congress, there are new doubts over the prospects for a bill that would shield journalists from being compelled by the federal government to reveal their sources and materials.

The PRESS Act would protect a journalist from being forced to disclose their anonymous sources under threat of arrest or prosecution. This article, Bill aimed at protection of journalists stalls in U.