Shielded, but from what?
Margaret in Phoenix writes the Republic about NY Times reporter Judith Miller's refusal to name her source to Patrick Fitzgerald as he works to get to the bottom of the Valerie Plame leak:
My sympathies to all reporters.This is a sad day for the 80-plus percent of Americans who do not fall on either extreme of the political spectrum, and it should be a day where the actions frighten every American.
On Wednesday, we watched Judith Miller go to jail for all our rights. How tragic.
Every rational American should be demanding that their congressmen adopt a national shield law for reporters!
Hardly tragic and hardly necessary. You and I and Margaret as well have an obligation to cooperate with a duly-authorized legal investigation. Why should reporters be allowed to hide a criminal act behind some sort of privelege?
Mr. Fitzgerald is investigating a potential felony and if Ms. Miller has information that is required to understand whether in fact a felony crime was committed, she is obligated to pass that information along. Just as Margaret would were it she who was being asked these questions.
3 comments:
"Every rational American should be demanding that their congressmen adopt a national shield law for reporters!"
Bull! Judith Miller is not protecting a whistle blower. She was participating in a delierate political smear, and disregarded federal law in teh precess. She, Mathew Cooper and Bob Novak along with whoever the leak was should be in jail whether they cooperate with the procecution or not.
Remains unclear as to whether there actually was a crime committed. Having said that, Fitzgerald needs to be able to get to every piece of information he needs to make that determination.
Sounds rather Clintonian, but there is a legally precise definition we're dealing with and if the leak doesn't meet the standard, nobodys going to jail.
On a side note, I wonder where Margaret stands on the Iraq War?
Judi Miller was the sucker who wrote all those NYT pieces about WMD in Iraq. She was tight with Chalabi's crew. In fact, she was embedded with an elite NBC search team during the invasion.
If Margaret thinks Bush Lied and Everyone Died, wonder if she wants to reconsider her position on Miller's imprisonment?
Just a thought.
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