BOSTON —

A key Massachusetts legislative committee is recommending passage of a so-called "Shield Law" that would prevent journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources' identities.

The favorable report from the Joint Committee on the Judiciary Committee is a significant step for a bill that's failed to advance for years.

5 Investigates joined other journalists, including Walter Robinson, who led The Boston Globe's Spotlight Team when it exposed the Catholic Church's priest abuse scandal, in testifying in support of the bill earlier this year.

The journalists testified about the importance of being able to protect sources who reveal critical information, often at great risk to themselves.

Massachusetts is one of just nine states in the country without a shield law for jo

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