Supreme Court of Canada judges appeared inclined to give more protection to journalists’ sources as they heard the National Post’s appeal of a ruling that could expose a key source for reporter Andrew McIntosh’s investigation into connections between federal loans and grants and former prime minister Jean Chretien.

The court, which was cool to the idea of a blanket immunity for sources, reserved decision on a case that should strike a balance between the Charter guarantee of press freedom and police efforts to investigate crime. Janice Tibbetts of Canwest News Service reports in the National Post.