MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has become the latest state to enact a law that protects journalists and their sources.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday signed a new law that creates a legal protection for information given to journalists by confidential sources or for conversations that take place off the record.

That means that the identity of anonymous sources is out of the reach of Vermont’s legal system, even if those sources are government employees leaking privileged information.

At a Statehouse signing ceremony, Scott said he supported the law because it helps reporters preserve their independence.

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Vermont Public Radio (http://bit.ly/2pXbq9A ) reports that more than two dozen states have similar protections in place.

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Information from: WVPS-FM, http://www.vpr.net