Mariah Blake's piece in the Columbia Journalism Review is a bit shocking as a student journalist. On one hand, I definitely understand the concerns of the British court. In terms of privacy, one has to draw the line somewhere before the situation gets out of hand. The fact that media organizations (tabloids) are shelling out huge sums of money for access to voicemail is disturbing. Yet the penalties being placed on journalists is more disturbing.

My opinion is that every last step or precaution should be taken before freedom of the press is curbed. The fact that a law like this may hamper investigative journalists from taking the first steps in their reporting provides too much shielding for the government. I may not be up to date with all the latest happenings from British politics, but if their system works anything like America's, the need for investigative reporting is probably on the rise.

In an era where leaders make decisions that result in preemptive wars, decisions based on faith/religion and heavily earmarked spending, journalists need to be encouraged to seek out stories that unearth even the smallest forms of corruption in government.