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Kenyan Editors Oppose Bill Forcing News Sources to Be Named

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Journalists in Kenya and abroad are urging Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to reject legislation that could require reporters to divulge their news sources.

The Kenyan Editors Guild said Thursday that a proposed "Media Bill" passed by parliament last month was crafted in part to settle old scores. They petitioned Mr. Kibaki to reject the measure.

The media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders is also urging Mr. Kibaki to reject the bill.

The Paris-based group said in a letter that the measure would have "disastrous consequences" for Kenyan democracy, and would undermine a fundamental principle of journalism.

The bill was amended at the last minute to give the government power to demand the names of unnamed news sources in reports that lead to legal disputes.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.

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