Venezuela ? An association representing newspapers from across the Americas raised concerns on Saturday that U.S. courts have unjustly jailed and fined journalists who refuse to reveal their sources.

Inter-American Press Association warned against “disturbing signs on the press freedom front” in the United States, but the group applauded the U.S. Congress for taking up a bill that would give federal protection to reporters asked by prosecutors to identify confidential sources.

In a report issued at its midyear meeting in Caracas, the IAPA criticized U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton for ordering former USA Today reporter Toni Locy to pay up to $5,000 a day for refusing to reveal her sources for stories about a criminal investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks.