Washington:
President Barack Obama is defending investigations into government leaks, saying they are necessary for national security.
But he also says it's important to balance such inquiries with the need for a free press.
Obama says he has confidence in his attorney general, Eric Holder.
Holder's Justice Department recently obtained two months of telephone records for Associated Press reporters and editors involved in a story that disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen.
Obama says it's time to renew discussions about a federal shield law that would protect journalists and their employers from having to reveal sources.