The essay "Sigilo Profissional em Risco – Análise dos Casos de Manso Preto e de Outros Jornalistas no Banco dos Réus" (Reporters’ Privilege at Stake – Analysis of the cases of Manso Preto and of other Journalists as Defendants) stems from a work presented by journalist Helena de Sousa Freitas at the Lisbon University School of Law, for a postgraduation course in Media Law.

It recalls the contested verdict imposed in 2002 on the freelance journalist Manso Preto, who, invoking the right to his professional secrecy, refused to reveal to the court his sources for an article about drug traffic.

Besides this case, the study analyses other similar occurences involving Portuguese and foreign journalists that were subpoenaed to reveal their sources, as well as other ways of attacking professional secrecy, like postal interception, phone tapping or raids on newsrooms.

The analysis covers a period of four years (2002 to 2005) and it is based on 280 news articles published by the Lusa news agency and the website of the Portuguese Journalists' Union, an organization that supported this edition.

Published by MinervaCoimbra, a leading publishing house of books about the media, this essay has a foreword by Jorge Reis Novais, professor at the Lisbon University School of Law and former juridical advisor to Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio.