An Indiana congressman pushing a bill that would protect reporters who refuse to identify their sources told public access advocates Friday night that freedom of the press is "under siege."

Republican Rep. Mike Pence said he believed that freedom of the press was vital to limiting the power of government.

Pence pointed to cases such as that of former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who was jailed for 85 days last year when she refused to tell federal prosecutors her source who leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

"We are in a time of great peril in the life of our fundamental freedoms," Pence told those attending the 2006 Freedom of Information Summit. "The institution of a free and independent press is under siege in this country."