US tightening up reporter guidelines, say sources

Washington: A Justice Department official says the US law enforcement agency is toughening up its guidelines for subpoenaing reporters' phone records by increasing the likelihood that news organisations will receive advance notice so that they can challenge the government's planned action.

The official said the department also is raising the standard for search warrants used to gather reporters' email.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity about the guidelines, which have not yet been publicly released.

The changes follow disclosures that the Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press and secretly obtained some emails of a Fox News journalist.

President Barack Obama ordered the head of the Justice Department Attorney General Eric Holder to review the policy it uses to obtain such material.