In response to the Metropolitan Police seeking a court order under the Official Secrets Act to make Guardian reporters disclose their confidential sources about the phone-hacking scandal, Jenny Jones, Green member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said:
"Journalists should be congratulated for exposing the phone hacking story, rather than being hounded, questioned and criminalised by the state.
"The protection of sources is an essential cornerstone of press freedom which has been repeatedly reaffirmed by the European Court of Human Rights.
"The police need to use their powers to root out corruption, bribery and abuse, not stop a reporter doing her job."