No court may compel any person to disclose the source of any information obtained by a reporter except as provided in Part 9 of Article VIII of this Act.
8-901.Source of information.
Article VIII. Evidence · Part 9. Reporter's Privilege · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceNo Illinois court can force a reporter to reveal a news source except through the specific divestiture procedure that Part 9 of Article VIII of the Code sets out for that purpose.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/8-901
Plain-English Summary
Section 8-901 states the core rule behind Illinois's reporter's privilege: no court may compel any person to disclose the source of information a reporter obtained, except as Part 9 of Article VIII provides. It functions as the opening declaration for the shield law that follows in Sections 8-902 through 8-909.
The rule is not absolute. By its own terms, it yields only to the process Part 9 itself lays out, which requires a written application to the circuit court, specific allegations about relevance and public interest (or, in libel and slander cases, necessity to the plaintiff's case), and judicial findings before a court can order disclosure.
Read alone, Section 8-901 sets the default: reporters' sources stay confidential unless someone goes through the divestiture procedure the rest of Part 9 describes. The definitions in Section 8-902 and the application requirements in Sections 8-903 and 8-904 fill in what that procedure demands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Illinois court order a reporter to reveal a confidential source?
Only through the specific procedure in Part 9 of Article VIII. Section 8-901 states that no court may compel disclosure of a reporter's source except as that Part provides.
Is the reporter's privilege in Illinois absolute?
No. It is a default protection that can be overcome only by following the divestiture process in Sections 8-903 through 8-907, which requires a written application and specific judicial findings.
What is the relationship between Section 8-901 and the rest of Part 9?
Section 8-901 states the general rule against compelled disclosure; Sections 8-902 through 8-909 define the key terms and set out the application, hearing, findings, appeal, and contempt procedures that implement and limit that rule.
Does Section 8-901 protect all sources of information a reporter has?
It protects the source of information obtained by a reporter, as those terms are defined in Section 8-902, from compelled court disclosure absent the Part 9 procedure.
Who benefits from the protection in Section 8-901?
The reporter who obtained the information and, correspondingly, the source whose identity or means of providing information would otherwise be exposed through compelled testimony.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 84-398.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: illinois reporter's privilegejournalist shield law illinoisprotect news source illinois court8-901 illinois evidencereporter confidential source statute